Singapore could experience haze in the weeks ahead

If you're outside and not smelling the haze, breathe in deep - you may just end up missing the fresh air in the coming weeks, as Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu warned in Parliament on Thursday (Feb 12) that haze may linger over Singapore.

"The Meteorological Service Singapore has assessed that hot spot activity could increase in the coming weeks over nearby areas due to wind patterns and drier conditions in the current dry phase of the north-east monsoon," Minister Fu stated.

"This could result in hazy conditions affecting Singapore."

She was responding to questions from various Members of Parliament on the transboundary haze affecting Singapore.

A taskforce to combat the impacts of the haze led by the National Environment Agency (NEA) and comprising 28 government agencies will take measures to protect the public should air conditions worsen, Fu added.

The measures include ensuring sufficient supply of N95 masks, deploying indoor air purifiers in schools, public hospitals, nursing homes and polyclinics as well as issuing advisories to minimise outdoor activities.

"At this stage, the haze has not reached such levels that warrant investigation under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act," she added.

The Transboundary Haze Pollution Act is a law that was enacted in 2014, and allows Singapore to clamp down on companies in the region that contribute or condone haze pollution in our country.

Fu's statement in Parliament comes amid reports of "persistent hotspots" toward the end of January and the start of February, with firefighters battling fires in Johor's Kota Tinggi.

During this period, a burning smell was noticeable in the air over Singapore.

More recently, on Friday (Feb 13), there have been multiple posts on social media by users that have noted a hazy smell as they made their morning commute.

"My MRT train just passed by AMK (Ang Mo Kio) and Bishan and the smell when the door opened was putrid," said one user on Reddit.

"Man last night was rough," another user commented in a separate Reddit post about the haze in Potong Pasir. "The air smells bad and woke up with the throat feeling scratchy."

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khooyihang@asiaone.com