Singapore's PSI hits 129 at 9pm Sunday

Channel NewsAsia 21 Sep 14;

SINGAPORE: The Singapore skies were shrouded in haze on Sunday evening (Sep 21), as the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) reading crossed into the unhealthy range.

The 3-hour PSI readings hovered in the moderate range through most of the day but crept up slowly from noon and broke into the unhealthy band of 116 at 8pm. At 9pm, it stood at 129.

Shots taken at about 6.30pm from Fairmont Hotel, where Channel NewsAsia is reporting live on the Singapore Grand Prix, showed the Marina Bay area shrouded in haze. Callers to Channel NewsAsia's hotline also complained of a strong burning smell in the air.

In a Facebook post at about 7pm, Environment and Water Resources Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said the deteriorating hazy conditions are due to an incoming haze cloud from Sumatra. He said the PSI forecast over the next six hours is in the high end of the moderate range or in the low unhealthy level.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said 64 hotspots have been detected in Sumatra and 73 in Kalimantan. In its latest advisory, the NEA said intermittent haziness is expected to persist overnight and that Singapore might see occasional hazy conditions during the day on Monday (Sep 22).

Meanwhile, companies which operate outdoor activities have reported a dip in business due to the past week's haze. The operator of the cable ski park at East Coast Park said its business was affected, with clientele dropping by about 30 per cent. Still, this is not as bad as last year's haze episode when the outlet had to shut down for safety reasons.

At the recently-opened Sports Hub, fitness enthusiasts were still going about their routines. "If the haze report goes up, I change my routine. There's always an indoor gym that I can work out in," said fitness enthusiast Koh How Teck.

Roy Teo, managing director of Ski360degree, said: "We have prepared some face masks for our staff to use in case the haze reaches unhealthy levels, as a precaution. Last year, we were not really prepared. We did not expect it to be so bad."


- CNA/ir

Haze shrouds Singapore F1 race
Today Online 22 Sep 14;

SINGAPORE — Haze yesterday evening shrouded the island’s skyline, when it was meant to provide a picturesque backdrop to the Singapore Grand Prix watched by millions around the globe.

Visibility started falling in the afternoon, though the three-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) remained within the good and moderate ranges. However, between 7pm and 8pm, the three-hour PSI reading deteriorated sharply into the unhealthy range — spiking from 89 to 116.

At 9pm, the three-hour PSI reading hit a high of 129.

Writing on Facebook in the evening, Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said the situation was due to an incoming haze cloud from Sumatra.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said the Republic had been experiencing deteriorating hazy conditions since the late afternoon yesterday, with elevated levels of fine particulate matter, or PM2.5.

The haze was caused by smoke haze blown in from Sumatra by the prevailing winds, the NEA said, adding that intermittent haziness was expected to persist overnight. The 24-hour PSI overnight was expected to be in the high end of the moderate range.

The total number of hot spots detected yesterday in Sumatra and Kalimantan was 64 and 73, respectively. They were mostly in the southern parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan. Widespread smoke haze was visible in southern Kalimantan. The Star Online reported that the Malaysian government had formally written to its Indonesian counterpart to express concerns about the rise in the number of hot spots in south Sumatra and Kalimantan, which had led to haze over Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak.

The NEA has forecast occasional hazy conditions during the day today. The overall air quality is expected to fluctuate between the high end of the moderate range and the low end of the unhealthy range. It advised healthy people to reduce prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical exertion. The elderly, pregnant women and children should minimise prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical exertion, while those with chronic lung or heart disease should avoid prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical exertion.

The agency added that those who are not feeling well, especially the elderly and children, and people with chronic heart or lung conditions should seek medical attention.

PSI to fluctuate between ‘moderate’ and ‘unhealthy’ range: NEA
Today Online 21 Sep 14;

SINGAPORE – The National Environment Agency (NEA) forecasts the island to experience slight haze as winds continue to blow from the southeast or south today (Sept 22), in their haze advisory released to members of the public yesterday.

“We may experience occasional hazy conditions during the day. The overall air quality tomorrow is expected to fluctuate between the high-end of the Moderate range and the low-end of the Unhealthy range.”

Singapore experienced a sudden deterioration in the surrounding air quality in the late afternoon yesterday, with reports coming in from certain parts of the island of a burning smell lingering in the air.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said the swift increase in haze levels was due to a sizeable amount of smoke blowing in from Sumatra by prevailing winds.

“Singapore is experiencing deteriorating hazy conditions due to an incoming haze cloud we have detected southwest of Singapore,” said the agency in an advisory to members of the public released at 7pm yesterday.

“The total number of hotspots detected in Sumatra and Kalimantan today was 64 and 73 respectively, mostly in the southern parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan. Widespread smoke haze was visible in southern Kalimantan,” NEA added.

The three-hour Pollutant Standard Index (PSI) levels hovered around the “good” and “moderate” range for most of yesterday morning and afternoon but slowly crept up in the latter range from 1pm to 5pm. At 7pm, the reading inched closer towards the “unhealthy” range at 89 at the time when air quality can be clearly seen to be deteriorating. At 8pm, the PSI was well into the unhealthy range at 116. It registered a high of 129 before dipping slightly to 121 at 10pm. The 24-hour readings continued to hover in the “moderate” range, registering a low of 48-54 at 1pm and a high of 59-67 at 9pm.

Some members of the public complained on social media about a burning smell going around in the air, just as the island was gearing up for the Singapore Formula One race. NEA acknowledged “reports of burning smells in the central and eastern regions of Singapore” in their media advisory.

Last Thursday, Singapore also experienced PSI levels in the “unhealthy” range, registering the worst air quality readings this week when air quality hovered above 100 for most of the day.

Minister for Environment and Water Resources Dr Vivian Balakrishnan in his Facebook post assured members of the public that the environment agency will keep them informed.

“The forecast for the 24-hour PSI over the next six hours is in the high end of the moderate range or even low unhealthy level,” he added.