Haze pushes 24-hour PSI to 230 in western Singapore, highest islandwide reading this year
Residents and business owners in the west say the haze is changing how they live and work, with some stalls reporting takings down by up to 80 per cent.
According to CNA, the haze over western Singapore lifted the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) to a reading of 230 there by 10am on Sunday (Oct 18), which is the top figure logged across the island so far this year. Residents and business owners there say it is changing how they live and work.
Shops and stalls see fewer customers
Yong Yoon Chin, 63, and his wife own a children's clothing shop beside Jurong West Hawker Centre. Over the last two weeks, fewer customers have been going out, and the couple's trade has slumped by roughly 70 per cent. On some days, Mr Yong shuts up shop as early as 4.30pm rather than at the customary 8pm.
Regular walks in the evening have been given up by the couple, who have also suspended other outdoor pursuits and begun applying eye drops to ease irritation. Mr Yong said masks make breathing hard for them as they are older. After a few minutes with a mask on, he ends up gasping for breath.
Some stallholders at the hawker centre said their trade has roughly halved. Over the weekend, a single stall said it lost up to 80 per cent of its trade.
Since Oct 13, takings at her stall Eggdicted have slid each day from a minimum of S$1,000 to just around S$700, said Nguyen Ngoc Thuy Tien, 38. Her stall depends solely on customers who walk in. Yong Tham Foo, 34, who works at the Traditional Handmade Mee Hoon Kway stall, said weekday takings are down roughly 40 per cent on average, and the fall reached as much as 80 per cent over the weekend just gone.
Families change their routines
Eight-year-old Eashan used to visit the playground every evening after school with his five-year-old brother, but has not been allowed to since the haze worsened. His weekend swimming lessons have also been cancelled by the school. His mother, who gave her name as Ms Chew, said the family now spends more time at home or in air-conditioned shopping malls.
Logistics worker Chua Hang Cheng, 50, has advised his son to stop cycling in his free time. The haze has irritated his throat, said Mr Chua, whose workplace is a warehouse at Tuas Depot that is not fully enclosed.
Not everyone stayed in. On Sunday morning, some migrant workers kept up their regular game of cricket on an open field beside Chinese Garden MRT station. Mechanical worker Murugesan Paulraj, 31, said the group has a single weekly rest day, and since the haze looked bearable on Sunday, they chose to proceed.
Readings can change
Data from the National Environment Agency showed the west among the areas with the highest readings since Oct 12, and it led all five regions for a second day running on Sunday. On Oct 14, the region logged 288, the year's peak one-hour PM2.5 figure to date.
The situation remains dynamic, according to experts, who added that the west may not keep seeing high pollution levels. Depending on the weather, how smoke plumes move and local pollution sources, air quality may differ considerably between parts of Singapore, and can shift even over a single day.
Associate Professor Yu Liya of the National University of Singapore said she is anticipating the monsoon season changeover, which should weaken the smoke carried here over the next month, with heavier rain expected under the northeast monsoon, probably from December.
