more haze in Singapore!

22 October 2010

FRIDAY WEATHER

Chance of Rain

Overcast.
High: 32 °C

Humidity: 96%
Wind Calm.
20% chance of precipitation
Heat Index: 39 °C

all of the above is what we experience 365 days a year

no different

same same

and the PSI at 7.00am was 88

only 88?

wow ..... yesterday it reached 108!

and why we have such polluted air at this time you may well ask?

it's all due to the illegal forest clearing fires in Indonesia's Sumatra Island that is  sending haze across to Malaysia and Singapore. ... this happens every year as farmers on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra clear land by burning trees and bushes to make way to plant crops and raise cattle. 

I am not going into the personal issues of why and why not here 

as it is far too political and this is a very public blog!

the following are a couple of images 

taken from our balcony at 2.30pm yesterday:

 

 

and this is the same view we usually experience:

 

 

and it is even clear at night:

scroll back and recheck the first images

am sure you can see there is a very big difference!

some of the articles and comments in the newspapers are: 

AS HAZE blanketed the island yesterday and air quality deteriorated sharply into the unhealthy range, the Singapore Government urged Indonesia to act.

The Pollutant Standards Index (PSI), measured in three-hourly slots, hit 108 at 6pm yesterday - breaching the unhealthy threshold of 100 for the first time since 2006

  Haze from forest fires in Sumatra has forced schools to close in Singapore and Malaysia, and prompted warnings from governments of both countries.

 The Indonesian Environment Ministry acknowledges that forest fires in Sumatra are the cause of the haze and says it is investigating further.

This is not the first time Singapore and Malaysia have complained about the haze from fires burning in Indonesia.

In 2006 air pollution levels in Singapore touched record highs because of the smog.

They have not reached those figures this week yet, but are still alarming enough for the Singapore government to urge those with respiratory ailments and heart conditions to stay indoors.

In Malaysia, more than 200 schools have closed.

Haze from Indonesia brought Singapore's air pollution to it's worst level in four years yesterday!!

.... and the smoke is expected to remain in the air till at least Saturday, though the situation could worsen as fires continue to burn in parts of Sumatra being cleared by farmers and the prevailing winds blow more smoke this way. :-(

The Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) hovered at 80 early this morning!

and as a friend wrote:
PSI - Please Stop Inhaling!
PSI 80 - Please stop inhaling 80% of the time!

Officials say they will press the 

Indonesian government to take action.

I met up with some friends yesterday for lunch, they all came over to the West Coast and they all mentioned that the haze is much worse here than it is where they live. Be it Holland Village, Woodlands or the East Coast ..... so if you live else where on this little red dot and think that the haze is bad where you are, spare a thought for those that live in the West Coast area as we cough and sneeze our way through the Day!!

looking out the window now at 7.30am, 

I see that it is worse than it was an hour ago. 

So we are in for another day of closed 

doors and windows with the A/C on !

 

the National Environment Agency 

website is HERE