The Indonesian haze has struck again, but by now, is it even a surprise?
Moderate PSI Readings of 85-96 on 10 Sept, 8pm
On the way to the bus stop this morning, my glasses were blurry. Then I realized it wasn’t my glasses: it was the haze.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) provided an update yesterday (10 September) at 8pm that the 24-hour PSI was between 85 and 96.
As of 10am at 11 September this morning, the readings are:
The one-hour PM2.5 concentration readings were 26 – 43 µg/m3, in the normal range.
The NEA has warned of the PSI entering the unhealthy range of 101 onward should the haze situation in Sumatra persists or worsens.
Here’s a chart of the PSI ratings and their suggested (ban on) activities:
This means you could still go for a morning cycle or jog, but since the PSI is nearing Unhealthy, do check back as and when before embarking on your next activity.
537 Hotspots Detected in Sumatra
Yesterday, officials stated that 537 hotspots were detected in Sumatra, a sharp spike from the 380 reported on 9 September.
The ones highlighted are from the Riau and Jambi provinces in Indonesia. Obviously, hotspots refer to the areas the smoke from fires come from, not hotpots from mala xiang guo.
These fires are usually caused by human hands seeking a cheap way to clear large acres of land for their own selfish gains. The results could be over 100,000 premature deaths, according to this report.
Very Unhealthy Range in Sarawak and Malaysia
Think you have it worst? Apparently not.
Five Malaysian states and Sarawak has been even more badly hit by the haze.
They had hit the 200-300 PSI range.
It’s so bad that the National Disaster Management Agency distributed half a million masks to the people in Sarawak. Yesterday, 409 primary and secondary schools there were also closed.
2013: Worst Case of Haze in Singapore’s History
If this feels like a déjà vu, let me remind you about this again: the worst case of haze in our tiny red island happened in 2013, with PSI readings of 401 and above in June.
Anyone who’s lived through those days would know that you can’t see anything beyond a few metres away.
The problem of haze is nothing new to Singapore. In fact, it has been around for about 40 years now, with the earliest incident in 1972.
So, what should you do? Stop breathing?
Since that’s not possible yet, let’s all take precautions and stock up on masks from Watson or other pharmacies and prepare to cut back on outdoor activity.
And also, check back periodically on NEA’s site for updates. Then plan your day.
And pray for rain.
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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