PSI climbs into moderate range for first time since Nov
Amresh Gunasingham & Linus Lin Straits Times 10 Mar 10;
AIR quality dropped into the moderate range for the first time in four months as bush fires raged around the island yesterday.
Singapore's Pollution Standards Index (PSI), which measures air quality, inched up to 53, the highest since November when the air here was tainted by the haze from forests burning in Indonesia.
This is just inside the moderate range, which means the public does not have to take any special precautions to stay healthy. A reading of 0 to 50 is considered good, while 51 to 100 is moderate. A figure above 100 is unhealthy.
The National Environment Agency's (NEA) Meteorological Services Division said in a statement that the burning of vegetation here and abroad means there are 'higher levels' of particulate matter in the air.
Yesterday, firefighters tackled three bush fires in Tampines throughout the day. The worst one was near the Tampines Service Road where vegetation over an area of about three football fields was razed.
It took 90 firefighters more than three hours to bring the flames under control. Twenty officers stayed overnight to ensure that all the embers were fully put out.
Mrs Susan Lee, 52, who often jogs around the area, cut short her jog yesterday evening. 'I was afraid I would become breathless from the smoke,' she said.
Students at Serangoon Secondary School, just minutes away from the fire, were asked to leave the school if they had nothing else on. Its head of department for physical education and co-curricular activities, Mr Low Sing Ngan, explained: 'We wanted to take precautions to ensure the safety of our students.'
There have been 206 bush fires here so far this year, with more than half occurring last month. In 2008 and last year, there were 950 such fires in total.
Last month was the driest ever February and one of the hottest on record. But there could be some respite on the horizon.
On Monday, rain fell over western and northern parts of the island, with 42.6mm falling around Mandai alone. The NEA said showers with thunder could be expected on some afternoons over the next few days.
Experts have blamed the recent bush fires on the El Nino weather pattern which is linked to the warming of the Pacific Ocean.
Air quality slips into moderate range
Today Online 10 Mar 10;
SINGAPORE - With El Nino casting its hot, dry spell on the region and contributing to fires here and abroad, the air quality in Singapore has slipped into the moderate range for the first time in four months.
Yesterday's 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) stood at 53, and only the eastern part of the island remains well within the "good" range with a PSI reading of 42. This came as 50 firefighters battled a large bush fire at Tampines Service Road from late morning. Twenty officers stayed overnight to ensure all the embers were put out. As of Monday, the Singapore Civil Defence Force has responded to 206 cases of grass, lalang and vegetation fires this year.
Forest goes up in smoke
Today Online 10 Mar 10;
Five fire engines were dispatched to Tampines Service Road, towards Buangkok East Drive, shortly before noon after a forest fire broke out in the area. A total of 12 water jets were set up to bring the blaze under control. No one was injured from the fire, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force.
There's no way the air is 'good'
More frequent updates would give a more realistic picture of air quality here
Letter from John Lucas, Today Online 10 Mar 10;
FOR the past two days, the air quality on the East coast has been excruciatingly bad, yet the National Environment Agency's Ambient Air Quality report (available at app2.nea.gov.sg/psi.aspx) continues to publish an Air Quality Descriptor of "good".
The air pollution is so bad, the ships out at sea can barely be seen, and there is a distinct smell of burnt wood in the air.
I requested information from the NEA regarding the number of sensors, and the number of readings for each of the five regions, but never received a reply.
There are two obvious problems with their report.
First, the air pollution index should be updated at least every four hours, and not just every 24 hours at 4pm. Singapore is the unfortunate victim of heavy air pollution from Indonesia, and historic data does little for asthmatics who want to determine if it is safe to leave their homes, or need to make special arrangements when they return from work.
Second, sensors should be located every 20 sq km, and a matrix of all the readings and locations should be available online covering a three-day period. Having an inadequate number of sensors, taking readings during low pollution periods, and averaging the results over a 24-hour period will only mask the problem.
This is a serious problem and it needs to be fixed. With today's technology, providing an accurate air quality report should be straightforward, and easily justifiable. The NEA should increase the number of sensors and upgrade their Ambient Air Quality report.
The public should also be educated on the dangers of air pollution. People must know that it is hazardous to the health to exercise strenuously when the air is polluted. Many continue to exercise downwind of a raging forest fire - and this can't be good for the lungs.
Air quality gauge meets global guidelines: NEA
Letter from Tan Quee Hong Director, Pollution Control Department National Environment Agency
Today Online 12 Mar 10;
WE REFER to the letter, "There is no way the air is good" (March 10).
The National Environment Agency (NEA) follows strict international guidelines in the monitoring of ambient air quality through a network of 11 air monitoring stations that are strategically located to accurately assess the ambient air quality in the whole of Singapore.
The 24-hour PSI reported by the NEA daily at 4pm is an internationally recognised and health-based index developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency for assessing ambient air quality.
We would like to assure the writer and the public that the NEA monitors the air quality very closely and will provide regular updates on air quality and early warning with health advisory to the public if our monitoring shows that the air quality is expected to deteriorate to unsafe levels.
