7 ms·

Smog over Singapore

67 points by balakk 13y ago

hislaziness 13y ago
If any one is interested the hourly PSI is published here : http://www.nea.gov.sg/psi/ http://www.nea.gov.sg/psi/
- seanmcdirmid 13y ago
  The 200+ pmi range sucks, but is pretty normal in places like Beijing. Thankfully it's spring and we are under 100 most days. In the worst of winter, we were at 700+, think 2.5x as bad as Singapore right now.
  - brisance 13y ago
    While not as bad as Beijing, 24 hour PM2.5 is also in the high 200s, making it Heavily Polluted/Hazardous. My parents are elderly; my father has suffered strokes before and I'm not taking any chances. http://epi.yale.edu/community/blog/2013/01/18/beyond-crazy-bad-explaining-beijing-s-extreme-air-pollution http://epi.yale.edu/community/blog/2013/01/18/beyond-crazy-b...
latch 13y ago
Singapore's air is much better than Hong Kong's or Shanghai's. I grew up in the great white north, surrounded by nature, and on a day to day basis, Singapore's air is fine. But this annual haze, largely caused by burning in Sumatra to create more farm land, is brutal. It's slightly worse than the worst I've seen in Hong Kong (Summer 2012) and it feels like it's lasting longer than the really bad spikes you get in HK. Overall, I'll take 1-2 weeks of hazardous air, versus the more constant unhealthy air of Hong Kong or Shanghai. Sadly, both HK and Singapore are quick to blame others. SG blames Indonesia, HK blames factories in Southern China. Even if both claims are true with respect to total pollution, both regions could be doing much more to reduce pollution. P.S. - If anyone at Amazon or 3M is reading this...there's a need for N95 masks. The people most at risk are also the people less able to spend $3 a day on a mask - homeless, elderly, construction, cleaners.
- Gigablah 13y ago
  You say that Singapore's air is "fine" on a day to day basis. If that's the case there's nothing wrong with Singapore placing the blame on Indonesia.
  - latch 13y ago
    The fires in Indonesia are definitely the main problem right now. However, there's some talk that Singapore companies are involved in the burning and some talk that there's burning of palm fields to the south. I honestly have no clue. Nevertheless, I stand by my opinion that even though it's fine on an day to day basis, there's still some pretty low hanging fruit they should be on top of, especially given how much growth the country's still going through.
  - deleted 13y ago
    [deleted]
  - bilbo0s 13y ago
    Well... In the interest of full disclosure... It's NON-Indonesian corporations that are the ones engaging in the illegal burning. Further, some of those corps are controlled out of Singapore. Which is ... ironic.
    - bvi 13y ago
      There have been a few suggestions by the Indonesian officials on this - can you elaborate on which corporations exactly? I'm not saying that you're wrong, but I've not been able to find direct information on "non-Indonesian corporations" who engage in illegal burning, so if you have sources, that would be great.
    - brisance 13y ago
      It's a blame game. Can anyone deny that the source of the fire originates from Sumatra Indonesia? Is Indonesia a sovereign nation or not? If Indonesia says that it is not responsible for the fires because they are started by non-Indonesian corporations operating on Indonesian soil, then either you are very naive or Singapore would be fully justified in mobilizing its armed forces to deal with the situation.
C1D 13y ago
I'm currently in Singapore and to be honest I can actually smell the wood in the air. I've went to two pharmacies and couldn't find a mask as they're all sold out.
- hboon 13y ago
  Look for NTUC Unity. There are many branches around the island.
- savszymura 13y ago
  We have an office in Singapore, here's one of our colleagues report alongside with this image. http://i.imgur.com/nssEV4z.jpg http://i.imgur.com/nssEV4z.jpg Singapore at 8.30 this morning, as Ali and Michael struggle to work through what appears to be Dickensian fog. The PSI (Pollution Standard Index) hit 321 which is well within ‘Hazardous’ levels, as Sumatra conducts its annual burning to clear land for palm oil, killing wildlife in the process. Reports say that nearly a 3rd of the only 200 remaining Sumatran Orangutan have already died as a result of this year’s burning. The whole island is wreathed in smoke, everything smells, inside and out, some people are wearing masks in their offices... a far cry from Leeds.
- contingencies 13y ago
  I have to fly to Singapore next week. I can bring some masks if you want. Can someone with familiarity with 3M products recommend which of these might be more suitable? http://www.3mdelivery.com/cid-85-name-r-no-1.html http://www.3mdelivery.com/cid-85-name-r-no-1.html
- ValentineC 13y ago
  There's a crowdsourced list of shops selling N95 masks on Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0AuLloIXRvoaOdGxJX2xFbWowTFdqZFdscGxIblhJNkE https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0AuLloIXRvoaOdGxJ...
rdl 13y ago
I wonder if the losses Singapore's tourism and medical costs are enough to buy all the Sumatran farms, or at least to require other forms of clearing land.
philliphaydon 13y ago
I'm in Singapore but I've been in Hospital since Monday morning (unrelated to the haze) so I missed out, but nurses here say A&E has been filled with people they had to bring more staff in, the hospital is out of masks too!
JamisonM 13y ago
The article states: Singaporeans are also baffled as to why Indonesia has not yet ratified a regional agreement on trans-boundary haze pollution. Mr Laksono could provide no clear answer. I think Singaporeans are smarter than that. Unless this agreement comes with huge payments to Indonesia to help them change agricultural practises what incentive do they have to sign it? They are the biggest polluter and my understanding is that the agreement mostly comes with "help" for Indonesia in areas of each other signatory's choosing - also known as "nothing."
wito 13y ago
I travel to Singapore tommorow from KL for 3 days, but I guess it won't be very good experience :(
prewett 13y ago
The sad part is, 400 is not uncommon in Beijing (particularly in the winter) and nobody besides expats seem to complain. Those masks in the picture are useless, though. You need to use the 3M 8511 or 9211 or similar. (And in addition to making the air breathable, they also help with allergies).
- martingordon 13y ago
  I was in Beijing a few weeks ago when the AQI was in the mid to high 200s. While it looked nasty, what really surprised me was that I couldn't really sense that I was breathing polluted air – it didn't smell bad and it wasn't difficult to inhale. The only indicator that I was breathing bad air was the cough I developed after a week in the city. I attributed it to a traveling cold but it quickly went away when I returned to the relatively clean Manhattan air.
  - dtoma 13y ago
    We've had up to 700+ this year in Beijing. The "standard", almost everyday 200+ makes it hard to do any sport... 700 was barely breathable. The situation here really deserves attention such as the one in Singapore it getting right now.
brisance 13y ago
This is a potentially dangerous situation; a lot of people just do not realize the gravity of it. Singapore is an island with only two links out of the country to neighboring Malaysia. It is also one of the most densely populated countries in the world. If the situation were to take a turn for the worse, the warning might come too little, too late.
- herdrick 13y ago
  What do you mean?
  - outside2344 13y ago
    what he is saying, in Singaporean, is that all countries around Singapore are highly dangerous and that Singapore should buy more F-16s and conscript more young people into the army. Because of the foreign countries, not in case of a uprising at home, mind you.
    - brisance 13y ago
      That's not what I meant. The state is run like a corporation. Singapore does not have a FEMA because it has never had to deal with natural disasters or an ecological crisis of this magnitude. Thus the government and its people are ill-prepared for what lies ahead: 1. Serious long-term health effects 2. Political and diplomatic tensions because this slash-burn cycle will repeat in perpetuity 3. Economic impact from declining revenues in industries like tourism, food & beverage, construction etc. The government has yet to articulate a plan that involves displacement of its population should the situation persist (almost a given) and take a turn for the worse (possible). I'm not going to rely on it or any other higher power when it comes to the health and safety of my family.
  - brisance 13y ago
    People are reactive, not proactive. Especially Singaporeans, who have been indoctrinated since birth, to seek guidance from its government instead of taking matters into their own hands. The prime minister has already stated that the situation could last for months. In the meantime, with PM2.5 levels being hazardous, the people's health are being irreparably harmed. What PSI level would it take for people to leave the island? 500? 1000? 2000? Would anyone still be alive to make that decision? Let me put it this way. Riau, which is downwind and part of Indonesia (the source of the fires), has already declared a state of emergency when PSI hit 300. Singapore has not done so despite PSI levels being much higher at 401. Given the content of my earlier post, you can draw your own conclusions. I'm not going to spell it out so plainly because Singapore has got broad, draconian laws and I may be treading a fine line here.
deweerdt 13y ago
The atlantic has pictures: http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/06/singapore-haze/100538/ http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/06/singapore-haze/10...
- curiouscats 13y ago
  Here is a comparison photo from just over the water from Singapore. It is pretty amazing how bad it has been the last several days. http://malaysia.curiouscatnetwork.com/2013/06/19/extremely-bad-haze-in-johor-bahru-and-singapore/ http://malaysia.curiouscatnetwork.com/2013/06/19/extremely-b...
mjn 13y ago
A Wikipedia article on the event: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Southeast_Asian_haze http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Southeast_Asian_haze
nsns 13y ago
The real problem is not in Singapore, but in Indonesia, and with the companies that are responsible for starting the fires. http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/06/20/ri-dodges-haze-blame-game.html http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/06/20/ri-dodges-haze...
hdra 13y ago
I think the even bigger problem is how Indonesian authority is handling this. Looking around the national publication, this haze problem is barely covered. A lot of the "netizens" hanging around forums are acting like a spoiled child saying how the Indonesian forests provides tonnes of oxygen every year and people shouldn't be overreacting. Heck, even the ministry is acting childish by refusing aid from Singapore to put out the fire.

Smog over Singapore

67 points by balakk 13y ago

hislaziness 13y ago

If any one is interested the hourly PSI is published here : http://www.nea.gov.sg/psi/ http://www.nea.gov.sg/psi/

seanmcdirmid 13y ago
The 200+ pmi range sucks, but is pretty normal in places like Beijing. Thankfully it's spring and we are under 100 most days. In the worst of winter, we were at 700+, think 2.5x as bad as Singapore right now.
- brisance 13y ago
  While not as bad as Beijing, 24 hour PM2.5 is also in the high 200s, making it Heavily Polluted/Hazardous. My parents are elderly; my father has suffered strokes before and I'm not taking any chances. http://epi.yale.edu/community/blog/2013/01/18/beyond-crazy-bad-explaining-beijing-s-extreme-air-pollution http://epi.yale.edu/community/blog/2013/01/18/beyond-crazy-b...

latch 13y ago

Singapore's air is much better than Hong Kong's or Shanghai's. I grew up in the great white north, surrounded by nature, and on a day to day basis, Singapore's air is fine. But this annual haze, largely caused by burning in Sumatra to create more farm land, is brutal. It's slightly worse than the worst I've seen in Hong Kong (Summer 2012) and it feels like it's lasting longer than the really bad spikes you get in HK. Overall, I'll take 1-2 weeks of hazardous air, versus the more constant unhealthy air of Hong Kong or Shanghai. Sadly, both HK and Singapore are quick to blame others. SG blames Indonesia, HK blames factories in Southern China. Even if both claims are true with respect to total pollution, both regions could be doing much more to reduce pollution. P.S. - If anyone at Amazon or 3M is reading this...there's a need for N95 masks. The people most at risk are also the people less able to spend $3 a day on a mask - homeless, elderly, construction, cleaners.

Gigablah 13y ago
You say that Singapore's air is "fine" on a day to day basis. If that's the case there's nothing wrong with Singapore placing the blame on Indonesia.
- latch 13y ago
  The fires in Indonesia are definitely the main problem right now. However, there's some talk that Singapore companies are involved in the burning and some talk that there's burning of palm fields to the south. I honestly have no clue. Nevertheless, I stand by my opinion that even though it's fine on an day to day basis, there's still some pretty low hanging fruit they should be on top of, especially given how much growth the country's still going through.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- bilbo0s 13y ago
  Well... In the interest of full disclosure... It's NON-Indonesian corporations that are the ones engaging in the illegal burning. Further, some of those corps are controlled out of Singapore. Which is ... ironic.
  - bvi 13y ago
    There have been a few suggestions by the Indonesian officials on this - can you elaborate on which corporations exactly? I'm not saying that you're wrong, but I've not been able to find direct information on "non-Indonesian corporations" who engage in illegal burning, so if you have sources, that would be great.
  - brisance 13y ago
    It's a blame game. Can anyone deny that the source of the fire originates from Sumatra Indonesia? Is Indonesia a sovereign nation or not? If Indonesia says that it is not responsible for the fires because they are started by non-Indonesian corporations operating on Indonesian soil, then either you are very naive or Singapore would be fully justified in mobilizing its armed forces to deal with the situation.

C1D 13y ago

I'm currently in Singapore and to be honest I can actually smell the wood in the air. I've went to two pharmacies and couldn't find a mask as they're all sold out.

hboon 13y ago
Look for NTUC Unity. There are many branches around the island.
savszymura 13y ago
We have an office in Singapore, here's one of our colleagues report alongside with this image. http://i.imgur.com/nssEV4z.jpg http://i.imgur.com/nssEV4z.jpg Singapore at 8.30 this morning, as Ali and Michael struggle to work through what appears to be Dickensian fog. The PSI (Pollution Standard Index) hit 321 which is well within ‘Hazardous’ levels, as Sumatra conducts its annual burning to clear land for palm oil, killing wildlife in the process. Reports say that nearly a 3rd of the only 200 remaining Sumatran Orangutan have already died as a result of this year’s burning. The whole island is wreathed in smoke, everything smells, inside and out, some people are wearing masks in their offices... a far cry from Leeds.
contingencies 13y ago
I have to fly to Singapore next week. I can bring some masks if you want. Can someone with familiarity with 3M products recommend which of these might be more suitable? http://www.3mdelivery.com/cid-85-name-r-no-1.html http://www.3mdelivery.com/cid-85-name-r-no-1.html
ValentineC 13y ago
There's a crowdsourced list of shops selling N95 masks on Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0AuLloIXRvoaOdGxJX2xFbWowTFdqZFdscGxIblhJNkE https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0AuLloIXRvoaOdGxJ...

rdl 13y ago

I wonder if the losses Singapore's tourism and medical costs are enough to buy all the Sumatran farms, or at least to require other forms of clearing land.

philliphaydon 13y ago

I'm in Singapore but I've been in Hospital since Monday morning (unrelated to the haze) so I missed out, but nurses here say A&E has been filled with people they had to bring more staff in, the hospital is out of masks too!

JamisonM 13y ago

The article states: Singaporeans are also baffled as to why Indonesia has not yet ratified a regional agreement on trans-boundary haze pollution. Mr Laksono could provide no clear answer. I think Singaporeans are smarter than that. Unless this agreement comes with huge payments to Indonesia to help them change agricultural practises what incentive do they have to sign it? They are the biggest polluter and my understanding is that the agreement mostly comes with "help" for Indonesia in areas of each other signatory's choosing - also known as "nothing."

wito 13y ago

I travel to Singapore tommorow from KL for 3 days, but I guess it won't be very good experience :(

prewett 13y ago

The sad part is, 400 is not uncommon in Beijing (particularly in the winter) and nobody besides expats seem to complain. Those masks in the picture are useless, though. You need to use the 3M 8511 or 9211 or similar. (And in addition to making the air breathable, they also help with allergies).

martingordon 13y ago
I was in Beijing a few weeks ago when the AQI was in the mid to high 200s. While it looked nasty, what really surprised me was that I couldn't really sense that I was breathing polluted air – it didn't smell bad and it wasn't difficult to inhale. The only indicator that I was breathing bad air was the cough I developed after a week in the city. I attributed it to a traveling cold but it quickly went away when I returned to the relatively clean Manhattan air.
- dtoma 13y ago
  We've had up to 700+ this year in Beijing. The "standard", almost everyday 200+ makes it hard to do any sport... 700 was barely breathable. The situation here really deserves attention such as the one in Singapore it getting right now.

brisance 13y ago

This is a potentially dangerous situation; a lot of people just do not realize the gravity of it. Singapore is an island with only two links out of the country to neighboring Malaysia. It is also one of the most densely populated countries in the world. If the situation were to take a turn for the worse, the warning might come too little, too late.

herdrick 13y ago
What do you mean?
- outside2344 13y ago
  what he is saying, in Singaporean, is that all countries around Singapore are highly dangerous and that Singapore should buy more F-16s and conscript more young people into the army. Because of the foreign countries, not in case of a uprising at home, mind you.
  - brisance 13y ago
    That's not what I meant. The state is run like a corporation. Singapore does not have a FEMA because it has never had to deal with natural disasters or an ecological crisis of this magnitude. Thus the government and its people are ill-prepared for what lies ahead: 1. Serious long-term health effects 2. Political and diplomatic tensions because this slash-burn cycle will repeat in perpetuity 3. Economic impact from declining revenues in industries like tourism, food & beverage, construction etc. The government has yet to articulate a plan that involves displacement of its population should the situation persist (almost a given) and take a turn for the worse (possible). I'm not going to rely on it or any other higher power when it comes to the health and safety of my family.
- brisance 13y ago
  People are reactive, not proactive. Especially Singaporeans, who have been indoctrinated since birth, to seek guidance from its government instead of taking matters into their own hands. The prime minister has already stated that the situation could last for months. In the meantime, with PM2.5 levels being hazardous, the people's health are being irreparably harmed. What PSI level would it take for people to leave the island? 500? 1000? 2000? Would anyone still be alive to make that decision? Let me put it this way. Riau, which is downwind and part of Indonesia (the source of the fires), has already declared a state of emergency when PSI hit 300. Singapore has not done so despite PSI levels being much higher at 401. Given the content of my earlier post, you can draw your own conclusions. I'm not going to spell it out so plainly because Singapore has got broad, draconian laws and I may be treading a fine line here.

deweerdt 13y ago

The atlantic has pictures: http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/06/singapore-haze/100538/ http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/06/singapore-haze/10...

curiouscats 13y ago
Here is a comparison photo from just over the water from Singapore. It is pretty amazing how bad it has been the last several days. http://malaysia.curiouscatnetwork.com/2013/06/19/extremely-bad-haze-in-johor-bahru-and-singapore/ http://malaysia.curiouscatnetwork.com/2013/06/19/extremely-b...

mjn 13y ago

A Wikipedia article on the event: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Southeast_Asian_haze http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Southeast_Asian_haze

nsns 13y ago

The real problem is not in Singapore, but in Indonesia, and with the companies that are responsible for starting the fires. http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/06/20/ri-dodges-haze-blame-game.html http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/06/20/ri-dodges-haze...

hdra 13y ago

I think the even bigger problem is how Indonesian authority is handling this. Looking around the national publication, this haze problem is barely covered. A lot of the "netizens" hanging around forums are acting like a spoiled child saying how the Indonesian forests provides tonnes of oxygen every year and people shouldn't be overreacting. Heck, even the ministry is acting childish by refusing aid from Singapore to put out the fire.