As part of the National Environment Agency's (NEA) strategy to combat the threat of the Aedes mosquito, fogging has, over the weeks, been carried out islandwide on a massive scale.

Apart from the frequency of fogging, equally crucial is the timing of the exercise.

The objective is to extract the maximum benefits from the endeavour.

From my observation, it appears that most fogging exercises are carried out in the afternoon.A better way would be to schedule them in the early morning.

During the day, especially under the sweltering sun, the fumes discharged from the fogging guns would quickly break down into the atmosphere before disappearing altogether.

Hence, the efficacy is compromised.

On the other hand, in the early morning or evening, when the temperature is much cooler, the fogging chemicals discharged would continue to linger in the air for a much longer period.

Nevertheless, contractors may prefer not to do fogging during the peak rush hours in the morning, considering that children are on their way to schools and adults to their workplaces.

Similarly, the sound generated during the fogging process could be annoying to residents.

The NEA could work with other stakeholders, including contractors, town councils and residents, to explore and determine what is the best time of the day to carry out fogging.

Joe Teo Kok Seah