All schools, madrasahs to reopen on Monday

The National Environment Agency has forecast the next 24 hours to be in the low- to mid-section of the Unhealthy range.
Channel NewsAsia 27 Sep 15;

SINGAPORE: With the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) forecast for Monday (Sep 28) to be in the Unhealthy range, all schools, Ministry of Education (MOE) Kindergartens and Voluntary Welfare Organisation (VWO) run special education schools in Singapore will reopen on Monday.

On Friday, MOE had said that all primary and secondary schools would reopen on Monday, unless NEA's 24-hour PSI forecast indicated that the air quality could be at the Hazardous level.

In a press release on Sunday, MOE said: “Schools have in place a set of haze management plans and are ready to implement the appropriate haze management measures. Schools are also equipped with air purifiers and there are sufficient enclosed spaces to cater to their student population.”

While air quality is in the Unhealthy range, schools will minimise outdoor activities and exempt students who are unwell, or with pre-existing lung or heart conditions, from all physical exercise.

Originally set to have taken place on Sep 25, the Singapore-Cambridge GCE O-Level music and higher music practical examinations will now be on Tuesday (Sep 29), 8am.

In a separate release, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) said all full-time primary and secondary madrasahs, mosque part-time madrasahs and mosque kindergartens will also reopen on Monday.

NEA on Sunday said "the 24-hour PSI for the next 24 hours is expected to be in the low- to mid-section of the Unhealthy range, with a possibility of entering the high-section of the Unhealthy range if denser haze is blown in by unfavourable winds".

- CNA/ek

Hazy conditions expected to persist on Monday: NEA
The 24-hour PSI for the next 24 hours is expected to be in the low- to mid-sections of the Unhealthy range, said the National Environment Agency.
Channel NewsAsia 27 Sep 15;

SINGAPORE: Hazy conditions are expected to persist on Monday (Sep 28), with winds forecast to blow from the south or south-southwest, said the National Environment Agency in an advisory on Sunday (Sep 27).

"The 24-hour PSI for the next 24 hours is expected to be in the low- to mid-sections of the Unhealthy range, with a possibility of entering the high-section of the Unhealthy range if denser haze is blown in by unfavourable winds," the advisory said.

Slightly hazy conditions on Sunday were due to the moderate to dense haze still persisting in central and southern Sumatra. "Some haze has spread to the sea areas west and south of Singapore," said NEA.

A total of 61 hotspots were detected in Sumatra on Sunday. NEA said the low count was due to the "cloud cover over parts of Sumatra". It added that most of the hotspots were detected in southern Sumatra. On Saturday, 24 hotspots were detected.

Indonesia has assured Singapore that it is taking the haze very seriously, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean in a Facebook post on Sunday.

"My Indonesian counterpart, Coordinating Minister Luhut Panjaitan, phoned me this afternoon. He assured me that the Indonesian government is taking the haze very seriously and deploying more troops to deal with the fires," said Mr Teo.

Mr Teo added that he told the minister that "Singapore’s offer to assist Indonesia in our own small way to put out the fires still stands – it would be a sign of cooperation between our two countries, so that Indonesians and Singaporeans need not suffer the haze".

Air quality forecast to be in unhealthy range today
NG JING YNG Today Online 28 Sep 15;

SINGAPORE — After a relatively clear weekend, air quality began deteriorating yesterday evening and is forecast to enter unhealthy territory today. But schools will re-open following an unprecedented closure last Friday as the haze is expected to stay below the hazardous mark.

The 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) today is expected to be in the low to mid sections of the unhealthy range of between 101 and 200, and could enter the high end of the range if winds are unfavourable, said the National Environment Agency. “Moderate-to-dense haze” could still be seen in central and southern Sumatra, and 61 hot spots were detected, with the low count due to cloud cover.

As of 8am, the 24-hour PSI was 118 to 138, the three-hour PSI was 134, and the one-hour PM2.5 concentration was 77 to 124 microgrammes per cubic metre. This was a decline from the moderate air quality Singaporeans experienced over most of the weekend, when the 24-hour and three-hour PSI stayed below the 100 mark.

In a Facebook post yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said his Indonesian counterpart, Mr Luhut Panjaitan, phoned him in the afternoon to assure him that Indonesia was taking the haze very seriously and deploying more troops to fight fires.

“I informed him that we receive many questions from Singaporeans and the international community, and will have to let them know, factually, the seriousness of the haze situation,” said Mr Teo. “I also informed him that Singapore’s offer to assist Indonesia in our own small way to put out the fires still stands — it would be a sign of cooperation between our two countries, so that Indonesians and Singaporeans need not suffer the haze.”

Last week, the Republic was hit by its worst spell of haze since 2013 when the 24-hour PSI entered hazardous territory, peaking at a range of 267 to 322 at 8am on Friday. The authorities had decided a day earlier to close primary and secondary schools, as well as Ministry of Education kindergartens and special education schools.

The People’s Association designated haze shelters at community centres and Residents’ Committee centres, and set up distribution points to give out N95 masks to eligible low-income and elderly Singaporeans and permanent residents.

On Saturday, the Ministry of Health said 2,200 claims have been made under the Haze Subsidy scheme at polyclinics since Sept 16. While total figures are still being collated, polyclinic claims made up about 15 per cent of the total in the 2013 haze episode.

Confirming that schools would reopen today, the MOE assured that schools have haze management plans. “Schools are also equipped with air purifiers and there are sufficient enclosed spaces to cater to their student population,” the ministry said.

The Early Childhood Development Agency said childcare centres and kindergartens, which stayed open but scaled back on activities, will resume its programmes today, but will adjust its lessons in accordance to PSI levels.


WeCare PAcks distributed to Pulau Ubin residents
There are about 80 elderly residents registered on Pulau Ubin. About 30 of them live there.
Chan Luo Er Channel NewsAsia 27 Sep 15;

SINGAPORE: Residents in Pulau Ubin on Sunday (Sep 27) were given vitamins, eye drops and other necessities in a package called the WeCare PAck - a joint initiative by People's Association (PA) and NTUC FairPrice Foundation - to help them cope with the haze.

Grassroots leaders had started distributing N95 masks to elderly residents in Pulau Ubin on Friday, when the 3-hour PSI hit 341 - its highest point this year at 5am, climbing into the Hazardous level.

On Sunday, MP for East Coast GRC Dr Maliki Osman, guided elderly residents on how to wear an N95 mask properly as he made his way around homes and shops. There are about 80 elderly residents registered on Pulau Ubin. About 30 of them live there.

"Over the last couple of days, we are of course very concerned about the haze situation and how our pioneers who are living alone are managing on their own here,” he said. “So last couple of days, I've sent my grassroots leaders who are living on Ubin to visit them to give them masks first. Today we visited them again, to see for myself and my grassroots leaders, how else we can support and help them based on their condition."

Residents can also collect their masks at a collection point on the island which is located at the village chief's bicycle shop.

- CNA/ek

Can haze take a toll on one's emotional health?
Some doctors in Singapore say they've seen more anxiety-related cases over the past two weeks, compared to previously.
Kenneth Lim Channel NewsAsia 27 Sep 15;

SINGAPORE: Most of us know what the haze can do to your body - a running nose, eye irritations, and a dry cough, for example - but could it take a toll on one's emotional health as well? Some doctors in Singapore say they have seen more anxiety-related cases over the past two weeks, compared to previously.

"I think it's the frustration that they expect the haze to be over, but it's getting worse,” said Dr Raymond Yuen, a general practitioner at the Hosanna Medical Centre. “So it's out of control. And this 'out of control' itself causes a lot of stress to a lot of people."

Dr Yuen says he has seen about 15 to 20 per cent more patients with illness that could be caused by stress or anxiety, which include insomnia and shortness of breath.

Doctors say emotional support goes a long way towards helping such patients.

"I believe most of these conditions are mild and transient, so what they require is probably just for them to take care of themselves,” says Dr Lee Cheng, a senior consultant at the Institute of Mental Health.

“Physical health is very important, and also if any one of them requires any support or any advice, I think they can get it from family members or even from their colleagues, working partners and other loved ones."

- CNA/ek


Singapore Schools Reopen as Haze Hits Malaysia Institutions
Klaus Wille Bloomberg News 28 Sep 15;

Singapore schools reopened on Monday after pollution from Indonesian forest fires led to their closure on Friday, while Malaysia closed more education institutions as the air quality remains unhealthy in areas near Kuala Lumpur.

The three-hour pollutant standards index in Singapore worsened on Monday morning, rising to 132 at 9 a.m. in the "unhealthy range" after the city-state got some respite with the air quality in the moderate for most of the weekend. The measure had climbed to the year’s high of 341 on Friday morning, entering the hazardous level for the first time. A reading exceeding 300 is classified as “hazardous”.

In addition to shutting its grade and high schools, the city-state also suspended some outdoor events on Friday as smoke from the forest fires shrouded the city-state with a layer of haze. A prolonged period of high pollution levels would hurt its economy, said Vishnu Varathan, a Singapore-based economist at Mizuho Bank Ltd.

“So far, the impact on the economy is not significant as the haze didn’t last long,” Varathan said. “That would change if we had higher levels of air pollution for three weeks or longer.”

Singapore residents are expected to adjust their plans for now, heading to the malls instead of outdoor activities, he said. If it lasts longer, people may choose to stay home, which will dent industries such as transportation and entertainment, he said.

Malaysia ordered more schools to close after air quality in areas surrounding Kuala Lumpur worsened to “very unhealthy” levels over the weekend. The Air Pollutant Index has since improved with three districts near the capital recording unhealthy levels as of 8 a.m compared to eight districts earlier on, according to data on the Malaysian Department of Environment website. Schools in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, one district in Perak and two areas in Sarawak were asked to shut on Monday, the education ministry said.

Smoke from Indonesian forest fires has blanketed Southeast Asia with a layer of haze in the past few weeks. Data compiled by Global Forest Watch showed a concentration of fires in parts of Indonesia’s Sumatra and Kalimantan, driving the air quality of cities located in the areas to hazardous levels.

The effects of the haze depends on wind direction, with the weather pattern playing a role in pollution levels, said Gabriel Lau, an earth system science professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Singapore also named four Indonesian companies that it says may have contributed to the fires and said it would apply more pressure on palm oil and forestry companies responsible for the burning.

Temasek Holdings Pte, Singapore’s state-owned investment company, reiterated in a statement Monday its support for a “no burn” policy and called on plantation owners to do the same. The state investor said its joint venture with Cargill Inc., the world’s biggest food-production company, has confirmed there are no fires on its plantations.