Haze update Oct 11: Singapore GP night race to take place under unhealthy PSI forecast

Air quality in the Republic remained in the unhealthy range throughout Sunday (Oct 11), with the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix night race set to take place under hazy conditions.

At 6pm, the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) ranged from 112 in the northern region to 155 in western Singapore.

The next highest readings were recorded in the central (147) and eastern (143) regions.

Meanwhile, one-hour PM2.5 readings were in the elevated band in western (111), central (95) and eastern (81) Singapore.

Concentration readings in northern (53) and southern (39) Singapore are in the normal band.

In its daily haze situation update on Sunday evening, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said smoke haze from southern Sumatra and west Kalimantan was observed to have drifted towards Singapore.

While showers are forecast over Singapore and parts of the surrounding region, the agency pointed out that dry conditions are expected to persist over parts of southern Sumatra and Kalimantan.

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

"The 24-hour PSI for Singapore is forecast to be in the unhealthy range."

Haze Subsidy Scheme begins on Oct 12

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Sunday announced that the Ministry of Health (MOH) will be activating both the Public Health Preparedness Clinic (PHPC) scheme and the Haze Subsidy Scheme .

The schemes will help Singaporeans with their haze-related medical needs given the deterioration in air quality due to transboundary haze, MOH said in a press release on Sunday.

The move comes as Singapore sees a rising number of people seeking treatment for respiratory ailments as haze conditions worsen.

It is the latest in a series of announcements since Friday, when the Government's Haze Task Force (HTF) announced its 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 conditions.

周日（10 月 11 日），新加坡的空气质量一直处于不健康水平，一级方程式新加坡大奖赛夜间比赛将在雾霾天气下进行。

下午 6 点，新加坡 24 小时污染物标准指数 (PSI) 从北部地区的 112 到西部地区的 155 不等。

其次较高的读数出现在中部地区（147）和东部地区（143）。

与此同时，新加坡西部（111）、中部（95）和东部（81）的 PM2.5 一小时读数处于较高水平。

新加坡北部（53）和南部（39）的浓度读数均在正常范围内。

新加坡国家环境局（NEA）在周日晚间发布的每日雾霾情况更新中表示，来自苏门答腊南部和加里曼丹西部的烟雾已经飘向新加坡。

虽然预计新加坡及周边地区将有阵雨，但该机构指出，苏门答腊南部和加里曼丹部分地区预计仍将持续干燥天气。

“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小时空气污染指数将处于不健康范围。”

雾霾补贴计划将于10月12日开始

卫生部长王乙康周日宣布，卫生部将启动公共卫生防灾诊所计划和雾霾补贴计划。

卫生部周日在一份新闻稿中表示，鉴于跨境雾霾导致空气质量恶化，这些计划将帮助新加坡人满足与雾霾相关的医疗需求。

随着雾霾情况恶化，新加坡寻求呼吸系统疾病治疗的人数不断增加，此举正值此时。

这是自上周五以来一系列公告中的最新一项。上周五，政府的雾霾工作组 (HTF) 宣布了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。