New air quality reporting system to take effect on April 1

Sharon See Channel NewsAsia 20 Mar 14;

SINGAPORE: The government will implement the new air quality reporting system on April 1, a month earlier than planned.

Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said this is because the current improvement in air quality brought on by the rain could be temporary.

The new Pollutant Standards Index (PSI), which was announced two weeks ago, will incorporate a sixth pollutant parameter, PM2.5 in its reading.

The heavy rains over the past week have been a welcome relief for Singapore which had just gone through one of the most severe dry spells it has ever seen.

However, it seems this respite will not last. The National Environment Agency said the haze could return by late March.

Singapore is expected to enter the inter-monsoon period in late March until May.

During the inter-monsoon period, winds are typically light and variable in direction and they may carry haze to Singapore if hotspots increase in central Sumatra.

Singapore enters the Southwest Monsoon in June, where winds over Singapore typically blow from the southeast or southwest. The Southwest Monsoon is the traditional dry season and Singapore could be affected by haze if hotspots increase in central Sumatra.

Authorities say most climate models are predicting that an El Niño weather pattern may develop over the second half of the year. Depending on the intensity of this phenomenon, Singapore may experience even drier and warmer weather.

Last June, Singapore experienced its worst case of haze in history, when the PSI hit hazardous levels.

Last month, Singapore narrowly escaped the haze thanks to prevailing northeasterly winds, even though the haze recorded in Riau, Indonesia, was even more severe than that in June 2013. The question is, will this year be worse?

Dr Balakrishnan said: "I cannot predict with certainty, but I want to say that because we are worried about an El Niño year, a drier year, and because we have seen that the level of burning in Riau this year was even worse than last year, it means we have to be prepared. We have to prepare for the worst but hope for the best."

For this reason, authorities will start using the new PSI a month earlier than scheduled.

The new PSI may reflect slightly higher readings since it now incorporates six pollutant parameters including PM2.5.

PM2.5 are tiny particles that can travel deep into the respiratory tract and may pose serious health concerns.

Even so, health advisories issued by authorities remain largely unchanged, and healthy individuals can still carry on normal activities as long as the PSI is under 100.

However, authorities are advising employers to plan early.

Dr Balakrishnan said: "We want you to identify who are your vulnerable employees. We want you to work out adjustments to the work schedules so that when the air is not so good, you can decrease the level of physical exertion needed.

"Thirdly, we want you to have all the equipment necessary so for instance, if you need to get masks, this is a good time to go and stock up on the masks because there are lots available. The onus is on the employer to deploy the employee in a safe way, and to provide all the necessary protection."

Dr Balakrishnan reiterated that the government has sufficient N95 masks in its stockpile.

He said the masks are not the solution. What's more important, he stressed, is to prepare early and make adjustments based on the Health Ministry's advisory.

For example, if the air quality worsens when school is in session, Dr Balakrishnan said schools may keep students in school for a longer period for their safety.

"If school is in session and the air suddenly deteriorates, we will not dismiss the students and ask them to find their own way home in times of high pollution. The students will be safer staying on in school in a controlled, safe environment, and that's what the MOE (Ministry of Education) intends to do."

- CNA/fa

New air quality reporting system from April 1
Woo Sian Boon Today Online 21 Mar 14;

SINGAPORE — The new air quality reporting system — which will come into effect on April 1, one month ahead of schedule — will better reflect visibility levels during a haze, as it will incorporate levels of fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, into the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI).

In other words, the new three-hour PSI, which will be based on PM2.5, will pass the “window test”, as an official from the National Environment Agency (NEA) put it yesterday.

During the severe bout of haze last year, there was criticism from some members of the public that the PSI readings did not correspond with what they saw outside their windows.

The new reporting system was announced in Parliament last week by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, during his ministry’s Committee of Supply debate.

Yesterday, Dr Balakrishnan said at a press conference that the Government will bring forward the roll-out of the new system in view of the earlier onset of hazy conditions this year. While the showers that Singapore experienced over the past few days have improved air quality, he said this might be temporary as slash-and-burn activities in Indonesia had begun earlier this year than in the past.

He said: “The haze in Riau that was present two weeks ago was worse than it was last year — that means the fundamental economic forces that lead to illegal clearing of land and deforestation through burning are still present.”

Nevertheless, he noted that Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had recently gone to Riau to address the situation. He said: “If they take his instructions seriously, maybe, we can hope for a better situation.”

The new PSI will be based on the worst of six pollutants — sulphur dioxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, PM10 and PM2.5 — to give a better picture of Singapore’s overall air quality. The NEA will report the three-hour PSI based on PM2.5, instead of PM10 (particulate matter with a diameter below 10 micrometres) to satisfy the “window test” in periods of smoke haze, said its Chief Scientific Officer Indrani Rajaram.

Hourly updates on PM2.5 levels in the air will also be published, so the public can take necessary precautions.

An NEA spokesperson said the three-hour PM2.5 readings will reflect more recent levels of PM2.5 and should “correspond more closely with what one sees”, as finer particles in PM2.5 scatter more light.

National University of Singapore air-pollutants expert Jason Blake Cohen said some of such fine particulate matter also absorb light, thus reducing visibility. Asst Prof Cohen said the new method of deriving PSI should give the public more clarity and confidence, as it is a widely accepted standard that can make it easier for Singaporeans to compare air quality with other cities in the world.

The NEA spokesperson said that, while the three-hour PSI might be useful to help the public decide whether to proceed with or postpone their immediate activities, it is not as useful in helping to plan for activities to be held later, such as the next day. “For this, the public may wish to take reference from the haze forecast issued by the NEA based on the 24-hour PSI.”

Under the new reporting system, the Republic may experience many more days of “moderate” air quality, despite the air being no more polluted than in the past. Accordingly, the Health and Manpower ministries have refined, respectively, the haze health advisories and workplace guidelines for employers.

Representatives from both ministries and the Ministry of Education reiterated that contingency plans are in place, should the haze return.

On whether a stop-work order will be issued if the haze reaches a certain level, Dr Balakrishnan reiterated that while the health and safety of Singaporeans are the priority, the country cannot “shut down totally in the face of haze”. He noted that the authorities have the power to intervene if an employer is not behaving responsibly and ensuring the safety of workers.

Dr Balakrishnan said that, compared with last year, when the PSI reading hit a record 401, he is confident the Government is “far more prepared and ... will be able to ride through” the situation should the haze worsen this year. With the Government, retailers and People’s Association having stockpiles of masks, he said this should “not be a point of anxiety”.

While the North-east Monsoon has kept haze from Sumatra away from Singapore, the coming inter-monsoon season with lighter and variable winds and the South-west Monsoon, which typically begins in June, could lead to haze coming in Singapore’s direction.

“We still have to be on guard against the recurrence of haze,” said Dr Balakrishnan.

Worse haze to come
Zul Othman The New Paper AsiaOne 23 Mar 14;

The rain over the past week has brought some relief from the haze plaguing Singapore.

But as the haze in the region is more severe compared to last June's episode, the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) are bracing for conditions to worsen in the months ahead.

At a media briefing on Thursday, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan said while the rain may have "improved" the situation brought on by a prolonged dry spell, the improvement is also likely to be "temporary".

In view of this, both MEWR and NEA are rolling out the new Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) a month earlier than scheduled.

It will come into effect from April 1 instead of May 1.

The new air quality reporting system incorporates PM2.5 into the current Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) as its sixth pollutant parameters.

PM2.5 refers to particulate matter up to 2.5 micrometres or microns in size.

These particles are known to cause inflammatory responses both in the respiratory tract and blood vessels.

Previously, the incidence of PM2.5 was not directly taken into account when determining the index.

'UNUSUAL'

Dr Balakrishnan said this year's haze has been "unusual" and the situation in Riau in Sumatra, Indonesia, has been severe since last month.

Slashing and burning in Indonesia, which is usually done between the June and September dry season to clear land, also began earlier this year.

While prevailing northeastern winds in February had kept most of the haze away from Singapore, most climate models are projecting an El Nino weather phenomenon - linked to dry weather in the region - to develop in the second half of 2014.

The El Nino phenomenon is also "usually associated with aggravated haze", added Dr Balakrishnan.

With these factors in mind, there is a need to accelerate Singapore's preparations against transboundary haze, he added.

The Ministry of Health and Ministry of Manpower (MOM) have revised haze health advisories for the public and workplace guidelines for employers to protect their workers.

For instance, MOM has advised employers to identify workers who may be more affected by the haze.

Employers are also advised to make changes to work schedules so that those employees can be redeployed should the haze worsen.