However, there could be an improvement in the haze conditions over the weekend with a change in wind direction, the National Environment Agency says.
Diane Leow, Channel NewsAsia 15 Sep 15;
SINGAPORE: The Government has contingency plans in place to tackle the worsening haze situation, the Permanent Secretary for Environment and Water Resources Choi Shing Kwok said on Tuesday (Sep 15).
At a technical briefing at the National Environment Agency (NEA) headquarters, NEA's chief scientific officer for Pollution Control Development Indrani Rajaram said air quality in terms of the Pollution Standards Index (PSI) has remained in the Unhealthy range starting from 8pm on Sep 12. The highest 1-hour PM2.5 reading since then was recorded at 8pm on Monday at 341. She noted that air quality in neighbouring Malaysia has entered Very Unhealthy levels as well. In Selangor, the Air Pollution Index (API) reading hit 211 - translated into Singapore's PSI readings, it would be 330.
The 24-hour PSI readings for the next 24 hours is expected to be in the mid to high section of the Unhealthy range, and may enter the low section of the Very Unhealthy Range. Rain in the late morning on Tuesday only brought temporary respite and winds are still blowing from the southwest.
A met services officer said the lingering haze has been due to a tropical storm in the South China Sea.
"Basically what we've been experiencing in the last few days is partly because of abnormal wind pattern brought about by a typhoon. That brought more dense haze over Sumatra into Singapore. That pattern is likely to continue until Friday or Saturday, when the typhoon has gone onshore," said Mr Choi.
However over the weekend, winds blowing from the east could blow the haze away from Singapore, he added. "After that, according to our best estimates, it will go back to blowing from the southeast, and at that point of time, there will be occasional haze coming in. We expect (the haze then) to be more occasional rather than continuous as it has been for last few days."
Separately, Mr Choi apologised for the NEA website and its haze.gov.sg micro site going down for three hours on Monday evening. He attributed the downtime to a surge of web traffic, saying there were about 40,000 hits per second on the website, 40 to 50 times of what it was before the haze season. The downtime for the website affected channels that relied on its data on PM2.5 concentration levels.
HAZE SUBSIDY SCHEME REACTIVATED
A representative from the Ministry of Health (MOH) said there has been no change in health advisories but that there has been a 7 to 8 per cent rise in the number of people visiting polyclinics for respiratory conditions, compared to the three Mondays before the school holidays.
MOH will be reactivating the Haze Subsidy Scheme to ensure that vulnerable groups of Singaporeans have access to affordable treatment for haze-related conditions. Under this scheme started in Jun 2013, medical fees are capped at S$10 for eligible Singapore citizens seeking treatment at participating GP clinics or polyclinics for haze-related conditions, with MOH subsidising the remaining costs for the patient. The fees for those in the pioneer generation will be capped at S$5. The scheme will be reactivated on Wednesday.
HAZE PREPAREDNESS FOR EMPLOYERS, EMPLOYEES
In a joint media release from with other Government agencies such as NEA, MOH, the Ministry of Education (MOE), and Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) urged employers to check guidelines for general measures to minimise or mitigate the effects of haze on their employees.
"Given the ongoing haze conditions, employers should consider taking risk mitigating measures such as use of mechanical aids, job rotation, instituting indoor rest breaks, and ensure adequate hydration of employees. If employees experience breathing difficulty from wearing masks while working outdoors, employers should deploy them to work indoors where the pollutant concentration may be lower," MOM said, adding that employers are encouraged to adopt a flexible approach in implementing flexible work arrangements for staff members, especially those with heart and respiratory illnesses.
HAZE PREPARATIONS FOR SCHOOLS, CHILDCARE CENTRES, KINDERGARTENS
As for possible closure of schools, the Ministry of Education (MOE) will only consider this if the 6pm forecast for the next day issued by the NEA is Hazardous, or above 300 in PSI. Schools are equipped with air purifiers, MOE said.
Teachers will look out for students who are unwell, and ensure that they receive medical attention promptly, the ministry said. Schools also have a list of students who have pre-existing heart or lung conditions, and will monitor their well-being, MOE added.
MOE also asks parents to ensure their children to have their medication - such as inhalers for asthma - with them, as children respond differently to haze.
WECARE PACKS WITH MASKS TO BE DISTRIBUTED
Separately, the People's Association (PA) said grassroots volunteers will start distributing WeCare packs with N95 masks and Vitamin C tablets to vulnerable people in all 29 constituencies on Wednesday. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will kick off the distribution from Wednesday evening and that for the rest of the constituencies will take place over the week. If the haze worsens, the PA said it will open air-conditioned rooms in community clubs and Residents' Committee centres to residents.
On Monday, Indonesia detected 982 hotspots in Sumatra, the highest in two months. In Singapore, the 3-hour PSI hit 249 at 9pm on Monday - the highest so far this year.
Minister for the Environment and Water Resources had on Monday also spoken with Indonesian Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar and reiterated Singapore's offer of help to combat forest fires. Indonesia had earlier accepted the Singapore Armed Forces' offer to send C-130s for cloud seeding and Chinooks for large water buckets to douse fires, only to decline it after.
- CNA/dl
Air quality in S'pore still unhealthy despite rain
AsiaOne 15 Sep 15;
SINGAPORE - Heavy rains did not improve the hazy conditions in Singapore on Tuesday, Sep 15, as the air quality remained in the "unhealthy" range.
Despite heavy showers with gusty winds over many areas of Singapore in the late morning and early afternoon, the 24-hour Pollutant Standard Index (PSI) was between 114 and 138 as of 8pm, according to the National Environment Agency (NEA).
A 24-hour PSI reading of between 101 and 200 is considered to be within the unhealthy range.
Meanwhile, the three-hour PSI at 8pm was 112, a further improvement from the previous reading of 117 at 7pm, following a reading of 137 recorded at 4pm.
In a statement on Tuesday evening, NEA said that hazy conditions can still be expected on Wednesday, Sep 16, and the air quality could deteriorate further due to unfavourable winds blowing in denser haze from Sumatra. NEA added that the 24-hour PSI may enter the low section of the "very unhealthy" range (between 201 and 300).
The current haze situation has forced a number of schools to cancel or move outdoor activities indoors.
However, the Singapore Grand Prix organisers clarified in a statement that the racing and entertainment activities during the upcoming race weekend on Sep 18-20 will proceed as planned for now.
With the present air quality forecast, healthy people are advised to reduce prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical exertion, according to NEA's health advisory. The elderly, pregnant women and children should minimise outdoor activities, while persons with chronic lung or heart disease should avoid outdoor activities.
For more updates on the haze, visit NEA's haze microsite (www.haze.gov.sg).
