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Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim
on Wednesday said Singapore has asked the Indonesian authorities on
several occasions to take extra measures to make sure the forest
fires do not recur.
'It is a matter that cannot be taken lightly,' he told reporters
on the sidelines of the opening of a new co-generation power plant
by Powerseraya at Jurong Island on Wednesday, adding that Asean
members had agreed to take steps at a recent meeting on the haze
issue to emphasize the need for more vigilance against
firestarters.
Dr Yaacob advised those more vulnerable to respiratory ailments
to curb their outdoor activities following a worsening of the haze
on Tuesday. If the situation gets worse, the authorities will
consider issuing a health advisory, said Dr Yaacob. But for now,
the Pollutant Standard Index (PSI) is in the moderate range,
meaning no special precautions need to be taken. As at 3 pm on
Wednesday, the PSI stood at 80.
Satellite pictures on Tuesday showed 202 'hot spots' in Sumatra,
indicating where Indonesian farmers and plantation companies had
set fires to clear large swathes of forests to get the land ready
for the crop-planting season. The prevailing winds from the
south-west carried the smoke to Singapore, said the National
Environment Ministry.
Many areas in Malaysia were also blanketed in thick haze on
Wednesday, with the air quality in Muar reaching an unhealthy level
based on the Air Pollutant Index (API) readings compared with 51
other areas nationwide. Malaysia's Department of Environment said
in a statement on Wednesday that the API readings at 11am showed 27
areas with moderate air quality and 23 areas with good-quality
air.
Declining air quality have been reported over the last two days
in several places such as in north Johor, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan
and Selangor, due to the haze brought in from Sumatra.
