Haze watch: PSI enters high-unhealthy range in southern, western and central Singapore

Air quality in the Republic has deteriorated overnight, just as Singapore enters the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix race weekend .

At 10am on Friday (Oct 9) morning, the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) was in the high-unhealthy range in the central (173), western (166) and southern (154) regions, while eastern (147) and northern (117) Singapore are in the mid-unhealthy range.

Meanwhile, one-hour PM2.5 is in the elevated band across Singapore, with central Singapore jointly recording the highest reading of 142.

On Thursday night, the concentration reading hit the high-band in three regions — western (156), central (163) and eastern (152) Singapore — simultaneously.

In its daily haze situation update on Thursday evening , the National Environment Agency (NEA) said it expects the country's 24-hour PSI to be in the high-moderate to mid-unhealthy range.

It noted that moderate to dense smoke plumes from southern and central Sumatra and West Kalimantan were observed to drift towards Singapore.

Data from the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre shows 162 hotspots in Kalimantan on Oct 8, while there were 314 hotspots in Sumatra.

"Under the prevailing south-easterly or southerly winds, smoke haze may continue to drift towards Singapore.

"The 24-hr PSI for Singapore is forecast to be in the high-moderate to mid-unhealthy range."

Schools and parents, workplaces

Preschools and schools have measures in place to safeguard the wellbeing of students. This includes adjusting outdoor activities and the use of air purifiers.

According to the Ministry of Education (MOE), it will consider closing schools when the air quality forecast for the next day is in the hazardous range. This occurs when PSI exceeds 300.

The closure will be announced at around the same time that the daily haze situation update is released in the evening. Schools will contact parents to inform them.

For now, with air quality in the unhealthy range, workplace safety remain in focus and employers are urged to reduce the duration of prolonged or strenuous work for healthy employees.

For vulnerable workers, especially the elderly and pregnant women, they should minimise prolonged or strenuous outdoor work, while those with chronic heart and lung conditions should avoid such work.

Employers should also provide suitable protective equipment, considering pollutants present in the work environment.

Members of the public should check the latest one-hour PM2.5 concentration readings before participating in outdoor activities.

Haze and Singapore Grand Prix

"There is absolutely no risk to the event and the conditions where the event is taking place are not at any level of concern," an F1 spokesperson told AsiaOne in response to the ongoing haze situation.

Addressing concerns about the haze, race promoter Singapore GP said the possibility of haze is just one of the many potential issues that are covered in the race's overall contingency plans .

A Singapore GP spokesperson highlighted that the plan was formulated and refined in consultation with stakeholders and Government agencies to safeguard the health and safety of all involved, while ensuring smooth delivery of the race and race entertainment experience.

This, the spokesperson said, includes clear communication across various owned platforms, and ensuring the availability of N95 masks on-site, if required.

正值新加坡即将迎来一级方程式新加坡大奖赛周末之际，新加坡共和国的空气质量一夜之间恶化。

10 月 9 日星期五上午 10 点，新加坡中部（173）、西部（166）和南部（154）地区的 24 小时污染物标准指数 (PSI) 处于高度不健康范围，而东部（147）和北部（117）地区则处于中等不健康范围。

与此同时，新加坡全境一小时 PM2.5 浓度处于较高水平，新加坡中部地区与中部地区一起录得最高读数 142。

周四晚上，新加坡西部（156）、中部（163）和东部（152）三个地区的空气浓度读数同时达到高位。

国家环境局（NEA）在周四晚间发布的每日雾霾情况更新中表示，预计该国24小时空气污染指数（PSI）将处于高至中等至中度不健康范围内。

报告指出，来自苏门答腊南部和中部以及西加里曼丹的中等至浓重的烟雾向新加坡飘移。

东盟专业气象中心的数据显示，10 月 8 日加里曼丹有 162 个热点，而苏门答腊有 314 个热点。

“在盛行的东南风或南风的影响下，烟雾可能会继续向新加坡飘去。”

“预计新加坡24小时空气污染指数（PSI）将处于中高至中等不健康范围。”

学校和家长，工作场所

幼儿园和学校都已采取措施保障学生的健康福祉，包括调整户外活动和使用空气净化器。

根据教育部规定，当次日空气质量预报显示空气质量达到危险级别时，将考虑停课。这种情况发生在空气污染指数（PSI）超过300时。

学校将在每日雾霾情况通报发布前后宣布停课决定。届时，学校将联系家长告知停课事宜。

目前，由于空气质量处于不健康范围，工作场所安全仍然是关注的焦点，并敦促雇主减少健康员工长时间或繁重工作的时间。

对于体弱的劳动者，特别是老年人和孕妇，应尽量减少长时间或剧烈的户外工作，而患有慢性心脏和肺部疾病的人应避免从事此类工作。

考虑到工作环境中存在的污染物，雇主还应提供合适的防护设备。

公众在参加户外活动前，应查看最新的1小时PM2.5浓度读数。

雾霾和新加坡大奖赛

针对目前的雾霾情况，一位F1发言人告诉AsiaOne：“赛事绝对没有任何风险，赛事举办地的状况也完全不令人担忧。”

针对人们对雾霾的担忧，赛事推广方新加坡大奖赛表示，雾霾的可能性只是赛事整体应急计划中涵盖的众多潜在问题之一。

新加坡大奖赛发言人强调，该计划是在与利益相关者和政府机构协商后制定和完善的，旨在保障所有参与人员的健康和安全，同时确保比赛和赛事娱乐体验的顺利进行。

发言人表示，这包括在各个自有平台上进行清晰的沟通，以及确保在需要时现场提供 N95 口罩。