Haze watch: Air quality deteriorates in central Singapore as PM2.5 enters high-band again

Air quality in the Republic took a turn for the worse after noon on Monday (Oct 12), as the prevailing winds again raised PM2.5 levels, with concentration reading in central Singapore again entering the high-band.

At 1pm, one-hour PM2.5 ranged from 91 in southern Singapore to 156 in the central region. The next highest reading of 124 and 116 were recorded in western and eastern Singapore respectively.

Concentration reading of between 151 and 250µg/m3 are in the high band.

Meanwhile, the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) ranged from 104 in the northern region to 147 in central and western Singapore.

Haze Subsidy Scheme begins on Oct 12

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung announced that the Ministry of Health will be activating both the Public Health Preparedness Clinic (PHPC) scheme and the Haze Subsidy Scheme on Oct 12.

The schemes will help Singaporeans with their haze-related medical needs given the deterioration in air quality, the Ministry of Health said in a press release on Sunday.

It comes as Singapore is seeing a rising number of people seeking treatment for respiratory ailments as haze conditions worsen.

It is also the latest in a series of announcements since Friday, after 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.

On Monday morning, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) announced that it is stepping up haze preparedness measures across mosques, madrasahs and mosque-based kindergartens.

These measures — should haze conditions worsen — are aligned with the next tier of action plans and advisories announced by the Government's Haze Task Force since Friday, MUIS said.

All four public transport operators in Singapore also said on Monday that they are making N95 masks available to their bus and rail workers amid the ongoing haze.

周一（10 月 12 日）中午过后，新加坡的空气质量急转直下，盛行风再次推高了 PM2.5 的浓度，新加坡中部地区的浓度读数再次进入高位。

下午1点，新加坡南部PM2.5一小时浓度为91，中部地区为156。其次较高的浓度分别为新加坡西部124和东部116。

浓度读数在 151 至 250µg/m3 之间属于高浓度范围。

与此同时，新加坡北部地区的 24 小时污染物标准指数 (PSI) 为 104，中部和西部地区的为 147。

雾霾补贴计划将于10月12日开始

卫生部长王乙康宣布，卫生部将于10月12日启动公共卫生应急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。

这是自上周五以来一系列公告中的最新一项。此前，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。

周一上午，新加坡伊斯兰宗教理事会（MUIS）宣布，将加强清真寺、伊斯兰学校和清真寺附属幼儿园的防雾霾措施。

新加坡伊斯兰宗教理事会（MUIS）表示，如果雾霾情况恶化，这些措施将与政府雾霾工作组自周五以来宣布的下一阶段行动计划和建议保持一致。

新加坡所有四家公共交通运营商周一也表示，鉴于持续的雾霾天气，他们正在向公交车和地铁工作人员提供 N95 口罩。