
Smog over Singapore - balakk
http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2013/06/smog-over-singapore
======
latch
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
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.

~~~
bilbo0s
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
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.

------
deweerdt
The atlantic has pictures:
[http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/06/singapore-
haze/10...](http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/06/singapore-haze/100538/)

~~~
curiouscats
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-b...](http://malaysia.curiouscatnetwork.com/2013/06/19/extremely-
bad-haze-in-johor-bahru-and-singapore/)

------
hislaziness
If any one is interested the hourly PSI is published here :

[http://www.nea.gov.sg/psi/](http://www.nea.gov.sg/psi/)

~~~
seanmcdirmid
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
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-b...](http://epi.yale.edu/community/blog/2013/01/18/beyond-crazy-bad-
explaining-beijing-s-extreme-air-pollution)

------
brisance
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
What do you mean?

~~~
outside2344
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
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.

------
prewett
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
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
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.

------
JamisonM
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."

------
mjn
A Wikipedia article on the event:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Southeast_Asian_haze](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Southeast_Asian_haze)

------
C1D
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.

~~~
savszymura
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.

------
hdra
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.

------
nsns
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...](http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/06/20/ri-dodges-haze-blame-
game.html)

------
philliphaydon
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!

------
rdl
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.

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

