Haze casts slight pall over F1 weekend

Feng Zengkun Straits Times 22 Sep 11;

THE haze seemed to play peekaboo across Singapore's skies yesterday, spiking to 60 on the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) in the morning, but dipping to 18 by evening.

Visibility varied from place to place. The 24-hour average reading at 4pm hit 53 in the northern part of the island, but only 40 in the south, where the fourth edition of the SingTel Singapore Grand Prix is slated to take place this weekend.

Yesterday morning's reading of 60 on the PSI translated into 'moderate' air quality.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said there may be slight haze the rest of this week.

The apparent unpredictability of the smoky pall has raised questions as to whether it could affect visibility and air quality on the race track, although race car drivers have told The Straits Times that they are more worried about the rainstorms forecast for the week.

They say that although the rain will dissipate the haze, it will make the track more dangerous.

McLaren driver Jenson Button, for example, said: 'It's a big concern because spotlights can reflect off water on the circuit, which can cause big issues for visibility. I'd rather it was dry this weekend.'

He added that the race would be discontinued if conditions became unsafe.

'There's a regulation that says that if we can't see a certain distance, then we don't race,' he said.

Race organisers had said earlier this week that there was 'no chance' the race would be called off, unless the haze worsened to unprecedented levels.

The PSI was at its historic highest in September 1997, when the air-quality gauge hit 226 - almost four times the 'moderate' number yesterday morning.

Mr Lawrence Foo, the technical director of race organiser Singapore GP, said of yesterday's situation: 'I noticed it today, but out in the open, it's not too bad. We don't expect any problems yet.'

The NEA said the haze returned this week on the back of light winds that allowed particulate matter to build up in the air. A south-westerly wind will continue to bring such particles into Singapore skies at times the rest of the week, but stronger winds may yet disperse them.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, will meet his counterparts from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand in Bangkok tomorrow to discuss the matter.

A statement from the ministry said it will 'review and enhance measures to monitor, prevent and mitigate land and forest fires in the southern Asean region'.

Additional reporting by Fabius Chen