Likelihood of Severe Transboundary Haze Affecting Singapore in 2023 and Preventive Measures

7 Mr Liang Eng Hwa asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) what is the likelihood of severe transboundary haze affecting Singapore this year; (b) what are the measures needed to prepare for such a possibility; and (c) how can the public be better prepared to mitigate the impact of severe transboundary haze.

The Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien): Mr Deputy Speaker, my response will address Question No 7 on today's Order Paper, as well as Mr Yip Hon Weng's question¹ for the Sitting on 6 July 2023. And if Member Mr Yip is satisfied with the answer given, he may wish to withdraw the Parliamentary Question. With your permission, please.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Yes, please.

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: The ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) hosted by the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) has assessed that an El Niño event is likely to be established over the next one to two months. The ASMC has also forecasted that a positive Indian Ocean Dipole is likely to develop between July and August 2023. Both climate phenomena will bring drier and warmer weather that could intensify the dry season in Singapore and the region, leading to potentially more hotspots and an increased risk of transboundary haze. We expect this year's dry season to be the hottest and driest since 2019.

The Inter-Agency Haze Task Force led by the National Environment Agency (NEA) has been coordinating and updating our national action plans in preparation for possible transboundary haze. The Ministry of Health (MOH) has worked with retail pharmacies to ensure sufficient stock of N95 masks. MOH maintains a stockpile of N95 masks and is prepared to release masks to retail pharmacies, should the need arises. There are also plans by the Inter-Agency Haze Task Force to work with the People's Association (PA) to distribute masks to low-income and vulnerable residents in the event of a severe haze episode.

All classrooms of primary and secondary schools, MOE Kindergartens and special education schools are equipped with air purifiers to enhance the well-being of students during a haze episode. Preschools are similarly required to ensure sufficient air purifiers to accommodate children in the event of haze.

MOH has advised medical practitioners on how to manage and treat patients with haze-related conditions, such as asthma or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. MOH has also advised all Public Healthcare Institutions (PHIs) on capacity mitigating measures in view of a potential increase in hospital admissions due to haze-related illnesses. MOH has also worked with PHIs, including nursing homes, to ensure that they have adequate air-purifying equipment and medical supplies.

Members of the public have been advised to refer to MOH's health advisories and to make preparations, such as ensuring that they have air purifiers in good working condition and N95 masks for prolonged outdoor activities during haze. To stay up to date on the latest air quality situation, members of the public can visit NEA website, MyENV app and the haze microsite at haze.gov.sg.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Mr Yip.

Mr Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang): Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank the Minister for her response. I just have one quick supplementary question. Will the Ministry consider working with the PA to establish haze sanctuaries, like using the Residents' Committees (RCs) or other community features, especially for our seniors who may not have the adequate N95 masks, air purifiers or air-conditioners in their homes?

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Mr Deputy Speaker, there are steps that members of public can take in the event of haze. First of all, if you are unwell and you are elderly, you may wish to stay home and reduce your outdoor activities. You may also draw the curtains of your house and have natural ventilation available. A mask is always helpful, especially if you are going outdoors for a prolonged period of time.

Having said that, I would like to take up the Member's suggestions about working with PA to create spaces for the vulnerable segment of the population to seek rest for some period of time. One of the suggestions that we are thinking about is to have some of the RC centres, as well as study rooms at Community Centres (CCs), for example, that are air-conditioned to be made available to some segments of this population. So, we would very much like to thank the Member for that suggestion.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Mr Liang Eng Hwa.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa (Bukit Panjang): Thank you, Sir. I understand the Minister had just attended the conference on ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control, the establishment of that. I would like to ask the Minister for an update on that, what can the centre do to help us be more proactive and to be also pre-emptive, to mitigate the impact of haze to the ASEAN region?

Secondly, whether are we also engaging the Indonesian government on how we can help and support in the management of the forest fires, should they occur during the season?

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Indeed, the Member is correct to say that we have recently met. This is the Ministerial Standing Committee comprising Ministers from the southern region of ASEAN. Representatives from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and of course, Singapore attended. We had a very good, useful meeting. The ASMC, which is hosted in Singapore, gave a comprehensive prediction, forecasts of the weather, that has been well accepted and also supported by the respective meteorological services centres in the respective countries.

So, I think that is the general agreement about the likelihood, the risk level of a drier El Niño setting in the next few months. There are also good discussions about fire detection and monitoring. I would say that there is a common intention and objective to help manage fires, forest fires, as well as the transboundary haze that may arise from the fires. And we have a good understanding about the assistance that Singapore has offered to the countries as well, should the need arise.

We had a good discussion also on the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control (ACC THPC). Indonesia, as the Chair for ASEAN this year, would like to see progress, so we had a good, fruitful discussion at this meeting last month. We hope that we can come to a conclusion leading to the launching of the ACC THPC later this year. So, good progress has been made.

Our discussion with the Indonesian government has always been very positive. Over the last few years, significant effort has been put in on the Indonesian government's part on monitoring, as well as on supervisory, regulatory, as well as building up capability for firefighting. Of course, we are helped by good weather in the last few years. But this year, again, I think that there is common affirmation of the need to monitor the dry season carefully and also to act quickly to fight fires.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Ms He Ting Ru.

Ms He Ting Ru (Sengkang): Thank you, Sir. I thank the Minister earlier for agreeing to look into the using of common spaces, such as RC centres and air-conditioned rooms in our CCs, to provide sanctuaries in case of haze.

I would like to ask whether, at the same time, there could also be a request made to looking into these spaces and making them available to become heat sanctuaries in periods of heat waves and also when there are high temperatures for over prolonged periods? Because some of our elders and some of our residents might not have access to cooling devices or just cool environments.

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: We will definitely take up that suggestion as well. These are all important nodes of community support on the ground; it is actually the result of many, many decades of hard work of building up assets, such as RCs, CCs, I would not say well-equipped, but which are prepared to handle some of these local exigencies when the need arises. And these have been put to good use, whether it is for COVID-19 management and now, potentially for haze. I would definitely like to take up Member He's suggestion of using them in the case of prolonged and severe heat waves.