Worse haze to come

The rain over the past week has brought some relief from the haze plaguing Singapore.

But as the haze in the region is more severe compared to last June's episode, the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) are bracing for conditions to worsen in the months ahead.

At a media briefing on Thursday, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan said while the rain may have "improved" the situation brought on by a prolonged dry spell, the improvement is also likely to be "temporary".

In view of this, both MEWR and NEA are rolling out the new Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) a month earlier than scheduled.

It will come into effect from April 1 instead of May 1.

The new air quality reporting system incorporates PM2.5 into the current Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) as its sixth pollutant parameters.

PM2.5 refers to particulate matter up to 2.5 micrometres or microns in size.

These particles are known to cause inflammatory responses both in the respiratory tract and blood vessels.

Previously, the incidence of PM2.5 was not directly taken into account when determining the index.

'UNUSUAL'

Dr Balakrishnan said this year's haze has been "unusual" and the situation in Riau in Sumatra, Indonesia, has been severe since last month.

Slashing and burning in Indonesia, which is usually done between the June and September dry season to clear land, also began earlier this year.

While prevailing northeastern winds in February had kept most of the haze away from Singapore, most climate models are projecting an El Nino weather phenomenon - linked to dry weather in the region - to develop in the second half of 2014.

The El Nino phenomenon is also "usually associated with aggravated haze", added Dr Balakrishnan.

With these factors in mind, there is a need to accelerate Singapore's preparations against transboundary haze, he added.

The Ministry of Health and Ministry of Manpower (MOM) have revised haze health advisories for the public and workplace guidelines for employers to protect their workers.

For instance, MOM has advised employers to identify workers who may be more affected by the haze.

Employers are also advised to make changes to work schedules so that those employees can be redeployed should the haze worsen.

Get The New Paper for more stories.