Haze problems in Singapore worsen

Haze problems in Singapore worsen

SINGAPORE (AFP): A haze enveloping Singapore worsened
yesterday with the Singapore Environment Ministry issuing its
second consecutive health warning in 48 hours.

The ministry said in a statement that the Pollution Standards
Index (PSI) reached 122, the highest reading to date. The reading
on Saturday was 112.

Any PSI reading above 100 was considered unhealthy, the
ministry said, adding that those with chronic heart and lung
ailments were to monitor their symptoms or consult a doctor if
necessary.

Members of the public who are affected by the haze have been
warned to stay indoors and reduce physical exertion.

The ministry said that while a small number of healthy people
may experience temporary skin and eye irritation, sneezing and
coughing, they could continue with normal activities.

The PSI, developed by the U.S. Environment Protection Agency
Standard (EPAS) index which is based on a scale of 0 to 500,
measures five pollutants. The pollutant with the highest reading
is take as the PSI reading of the day.

Visibility throughout the tiny island dropped yesterday to the
range of one to two kilometers, officials from the Meteorological
Service Department said.

"Although the haze seems to be spread proportionately across
Singapore, the visibility is still quite bad," a department
official said.

The airport and sea port authorities said however that
visibility was not at a danger level yet and that normal
operations would continue.

Despite the hazy conditions which have persisted for more than
three weeks, international flight schedules have not been
cancelled and would carry on as normal, said the Civil Aviation
Authority of Singapore.

"We are still conducting general broadcasts to ships in the
area that visibility is below two kilometers and that they must
take necessary precautions," a Port of Singapore Authority
official said.

Although the cause of the haze is still unknown, the ministry
said that it is believed to be caused by forest fires in
Indonesia.

The spokesman said that the exact location was still unknown
but satellite pictures showed the smoke to be coming from Sumatra
and Kalimantan.