Air Quality in Vicinity after Fires at Pulau Busing and Kranji in March 2018
Ministry of Sustainability and the EnvironmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Ms Joan Pereira’s inquiry regarding the air quality impact of the March 2018 fires at Pulau Busing and Kranji and NEA’s monitoring activation procedures. Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M stated that NEA monitors pollutants like Volatile Organic Compounds through real-time stations and deploys officers during major fires. For the Pulau Busing incident, air quality remained in the "Good to Moderate" range with no pollutant spikes, while firefighting water was contained within the storage tank’s bund. The Minister also noted that no air or water pollutant spikes were detected following the Kranji Crescent fire incident. These response protocols ensure that ambient environmental quality is closely tracked and reported to the public during and after major industrial fire emergencies.
Transcript
34 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources following the fires at Pulau Busing and Kranji in March 2018 (a) whether these fires have affected the air quality in the vicinity; and (b) what is the procedure for activation of the NEA team to monitor air or water quality following a major fire involving hazardous products.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: The National Environment Agency (NEA) monitors air quality in Singapore through a network of real-time monitoring stations. Besides monitoring key air pollutants, such as sulphur dioxide and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), these stations also monitor Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). VOCs are often associated with the handling and combustion of fuel oil.
In the event of major fires, in addition to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) being activated, NEA officers will be deployed to monitor air and water quality in the vicinity of the affected premises during and after the incident.
In the case of the Pulau Busing fire on 20 March 2018, the fire occurred at an oil storage tank operated by M/s PB Tankers Ltd. NEA officers monitored the ambient air quality and meteorological conditions while SCDF and the Company's Emergency Response Team were fighting the fire. The prevailing winds then were blowing from the northeast and the air quality was in the "Good to Moderate" range, with no spikes in the PM2.5, sulphur dioxide, VOCs and other air pollutant levels. The firefighting water was contained within the bund of the affected oil storage tank and the coastal water quality around Pulau Busing was not affected.
As for the fire incident that occurred at No11 Kranji Crescent on 22 March 2018, NEA officers monitored air and water quality near the affected premises during and after the incident and did not detect any spikes in the air or water pollutant levels.