Haze watch: Central Singapore PM2.5 in high-band; air quality remains in unhealthy range

Air quality in all five regions of Singapore remained in the unhealthy range on Saturday (Oct 10), with one-hour PM2.5 in the central region re-entering the high-band in the afternoon.

At 3pm, the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) ranged from 121 in northern Singapore to 171 in the central region.

The next highest readings were recorded in the western (156) and eastern (152) regions.

Meanwhile, one-hour PM2.5 is again in the high band in central Singapore (151).

Elsewhere, concentration readings in western (115), eastern (115), southern (101) and northern (89) Singapore are in the elevated band.

And even though showers fell briefly over some parts of Singapore in the afternoon, it did little to lower PM2.5 readings, for now.

In its daily haze situation update on Friday evening, the National Environment Agency (NEA) forecast the 24-hour PSI to be in the unhealthy to low-very unhealthy range .

This is also the first time since daily updates began on Sept 4 that the forecast is in this range.

Haze Task Force announces next tier of action plans

On the same evening, the Government's Haze Task Force, comprising NEA and 28 Government agencies said it is prepared for the scenario of air quality reaching the very unhealthy range .

"HTF agencies stand ready to roll out the next tier of action plans and advisories to protect the health and well-being of the public, especially vulnerable groups including the elderly, pregnant women, children, and those with chronic lung and heart diseases."

It announced various measures such as the distribution of N95 masks for Singaporeans who may be more vulnerable, the opening of haze shelters should PSI cross 201, and advisories relating to preschools, schools and workplaces.

On Saturday morning, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu reiterated the Government's concern about public health, and said she has been in touch with her Indonesian counterpart .

The minister also revealed that Singapore has offered support in managing forest fires.

Singapore Grand Prix

At present, the Singapore Grand Prix is not affected despite the haze.

"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 on Oct 8.

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.

The sustainability and the environment minister also said in a social media post on Friday evening that there are currently no changes planned for outdoor entertainment activities over the weekend.

周六（10 月 10 日），新加坡所有五个地区的空气质量仍处于不健康范围，其中中部地区的 PM2.5 一小时浓度在下午再次进入高水平。

下午 3 点，污染物标准指数 (PSI) 从新加坡北部的 121 到中部地区的 171 不等。

其次较高的读数出现在西部地区（156）和东部地区（152）。

与此同时，新加坡中部地区的 PM2.5 一小时浓度再次处于高位（151）。

新加坡西部（115）、东部（115）、南部（101）和北部（89）的浓度读数均处于较高水平。

尽管新加坡部分地区下午短暂下起了阵雨，但目前来看，对降低 PM2.5 读数并没有起到多大作用。

国家环境局（NEA）在周五晚间的每日雾霾情况更新中预测，24 小时空气污染指数（PSI）将处于不健康至轻微至非常不健康的范围内。

这也是自 9 月 4 日开始每日更新以来，预测值首次处于这一范围内。

雾霾工作组宣布下一阶段行动计划

当晚，由国家环境局和 28 个政府机构组成的政府雾霾工作组表示，已做好应对空气质量达到非常不健康范围的准备。

“HTF 各机构已做好准备，推出下一阶段的行动计划和建议，以保护公众的健康和福祉，特别是包括老年人、孕妇、儿童以及患有慢性肺病和心脏病的弱势群体。”

它宣布了各种措施，例如向可能更易受感染的新加坡人分发 N95 口罩，如果 PSI 超过 201，则开放雾霾避难所，以及与幼儿园、学校和工作场所相关的建议。

周六上午，永续发展及环境部长傅海燕重申了政府对公众健康的关注，并表示她已与印尼对口官员取得联系。

部长还透露，新加坡已表示愿意在应对森林火灾方面提供支持。

新加坡大奖赛

目前，尽管有雾霾，新加坡大奖赛并未受到影响。

10月8日，一位F1发言人告诉AsiaOne：“这项赛事绝对没有任何风险，赛事举办地的条件也完全不令人担忧。”

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。

可持续发展和环境部长周五晚间在社交媒体上发帖称，目前周末的户外娱乐活动暂无任何变更计划。