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.