Friday, September 25, 2015

Singapore shuts schools, distributes free masks for haze...

Singapore shut schools Friday and began distributing free anti-pollution masks to the elderly and other vulnerable people as a thick smoky haze cast covered the island-nation with pollution reaching its worst level this year.

The haze — a pall of grayness that resembles wintry fog and virtually obliterates the skyline while even seeping inside homes — is an annual problem for the region, resulting from forests being burned in neighboring Indonesia to clear the land for farming and plantations.

Repeated efforts to bring the offending companies to book have not helped. Meanwhile, people in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia suffer from the smoke, a serious health hazard, especially for the elderly, children and those with breathing problems.

The three-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI), which measures air pollution in the country, hit 341 on Friday morning, the highest level this year, before dipping below 300, the hazardous mark. Full story...

Related posts:
  1. Indonesian minister says Singapore "behaving like a small child" over haze...
  2. Singapore smog 'could last for weeks' as pollution level reaches hazardous...
  3. Singapore and Indonesia clash over regional haze...
  4. Breathing poison in the world's most polluted city, Delhi...
  5. Smoke from Indonesia shrouds Singapore...
  6. Haze in Singapore, Indonesia under pressure... 
  7. Indonesia's rain-forest haze annoying its neighbours...

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