Today Online 18 Sep 09;
HE HAS said it before, and he repeated his warning: This year's hazy conditions could reach the unhealthy levels seen in 1997 and 2006, said Minister for Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim.
Yesterday, the 24-hour PSI reading registered 54 - the third day straight it has been in the moderate air-quality range.
At the peak of the haze problem in past years, PSI readings in Singapore soared above 100, in the unhealthy range.
Dr Yaacob said the drier weather caused by stronger El Nino conditions will exacerbate the haze situation caused by forest fires in Indonesia. He appealed to his regional counterparts to take action against slash-and-burn activities.
"I hope that my colleagues in Indonesia and the rest of the Asean countries will do their part, because if they can demonstrate there's a willingness and political will to tackle this problem, that will also improve the image of the region," he told reporters at a Chinatown event.
Singapore will play host to a Sub-regional Ministerial Steering Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution forum next month. 938LIVe
