Hail in Singapore on June 2013

Hail in Singapore is already something rare and surprising. But today, after a hailstorm, some were fearful that this rare weather phenomenon in tropics was result of the cloud seeding operations in Indonesia. A National Environment Agency (NEA) spokesman in a media conference cleared the air: The hailstorm which hit certain parts of western Singapore is not toxic.

Although rare, hailstorms happens in Singapore. The last hailstorm in Singapore was reported back in 2008. Any form of rain is highly welcomed in Singapore nowadays because of the hellish haze situation can greatly improve with rain. And one more thing to not worry about: Haze particles are only hazardous when inhaled so if you are wet with a rain under haze, it will not harm you.

Below is a video showing the hailstorm today.



Afternoon thunderstorms are quite common in Singapore where the climate is tropical rainforest climate. 

Singapore haze situation improved in the weekend thanks to winds

After horrific levels of PSI in Singapore, this weekend brought us some relatively fresh air. Is haze over? Unfortunately the answer is no. The reason we had low PSI was winds pushing heavy smoke away from Singapore rather than a decrease in the forest fires:

There has been an improvement in air quality since last night, and this improvement has been sustained this morning. As at 12 noon today, the 24-hour PSI is 88-98 and the 24-hr PM2.5 is 81-102 ug per meter cube.

The improvement in the air quality is due to a change in the direction of the low level winds over Singapore from south-westerly to southerly, since last night.

The 2-hour PSI for the rest of today is revised to be in the unhealthy band (101-200). 


Source: NEA

Where to buy N95 mask in Singapore?

As many, I had a really hard time to find a place to buy N95 mask in Singapore. As haze levels broke a new record by each passing day, mask sales soared in Singapore resulting in "out of stock" signs everywhere in Singapore.

You know, or should know, that the surgical masks are not effective to protect you from haze. The danger of haze is PM 10 particles in the air, particles smaller than 10 micron in size. A more hazardous subset of PM 10 is PM 2.5, particles smaller than 2.5 micron in size. Surgical masks are not effective to filter PM 10. You need a N95 mask, a mask which can filter 95% of all airborne particles larger than 0.3 micron in size.

"Surgical masks are not effective. "N95 masks are far more superior" said respiratory expert Philip Eng. The masks protects you from at least 95% of smoke particles.

After going to several retailers, I started to try my chance online. I could not catch several online sales deals since they went out of stock immediately but yesterday night, I have managed to order a 20 piece pack of N95 masks online from Deal.sg. A N95 mask should cost S$1.8 to $3. I paid the top end, $60 per pack! Expensive I know but redemption period was next day. And although it was expensive, it was high in demand. I bought as the deal was showing 20 buyers and 10 minutes after I have successfully completed my order, the deal was  sold out with 156 buyers.

Today, I went to collect the pack from Deal.sg collection point and I am wearing one. It looks quite shiny outside but the PSI is still around 178 and the haze may go on weeks if a rain does not kills the fires.

I have read in Singapore's Straits Times today that they are bringing more masks and releasing them in batches. Just now saw a deal for 3M 95 Masks which was sold out in hours to 1500 people! Probably the packages are not even ordered by the dealer since the redemption period only starts on June 26th!

N95 masks are in very high demand in Singapore. This 20 Pieces of N95 Masks
was put online sales by deals.sg.

According to The Straits Times, Watson's told that it has more than a million masks like this and Guardian said about 50,000 will be distributed to its outlets.

A caution. N95 masks are not certified for kids so it is still better keep them indoors instead of taking them out with N95 masks.   

Singapore PSI hits 400+ as haze chokes Singapore

It was quite obvious in the morning that the haze in Singapore today was much worse than the previous days, which were already recording record levels of PSI. There was thick smoke in everywhere including the closed spaces like our office.

Well, your nose cannot be wrong, Singapore PSI has hit a new all time high today on Friday:

The Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) hit 401 at 12:00 on Friday (04:00 GMT) - the highest in the country's history. The haze is also affecting Malaysia, with another 100 schools closed in the south of the country.

A PSI reading above 300 is already defined as "hazardous". But according to Singapore government guidelines, PSI reading of above 400 over 24 hours "may be life threatening to ill and elderly people"!

According to Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsieng Loong, the haze in Singapore could remain in place for weeks. Last time there was a large scale haze in South East Asia, the air quality across the region only started to improve in late October as heavy rainfall doused fires in Indonesia.

Map and satellite view of the haze over Singapore

Who is behind the haze? Which companies to blame for haze?

On this scale, it is very unlikely that the slash-and-burn is done simply by individual poor farmers:

"It can easily last for several weeks and quite possibly longer until the dry season ends in Sumatra,"  Lee Hsien Loong said on Thursday, warning of action if Singapore-linked companies were behind the burning.

"On the scale of it, it's unlikely to be just small stakeholders slashing and burning."

As we have written before, palm oil farming is to blame, whether the slash-and-burn is done by individuals or firms. Increased demand for this oil as a cheap way to source bio-fuel to meet the so-called green quoted is to blame.

Around 50 million tons of palm oil is produced annually; with almost all of that being non-sustainable palm oil, that replaces millions of hectares of dense, bio-diverse rainforest. 

Palm oil is mainly used in foods, cosmetics and cleaning agents, but it can also be found in some bio-fuels. This fatty vegetable oil is mixed with a number of other fuels and liquids to create an 'Eco-Friendly' bio-fuel. This 'Eco-Friendly' bio-fuel has already become mandatory in numerous countries including Malaysia, where 5% of all fuel must contain palm oil, and if it continues to be voted into petrol stations around the world, the future for our orange primate cousins and their rainforest homes will be very bleak. - Source : Say no to palm oil

Singapore wants Indonesia to provide maps of land concessions so it can act against firms that allow slash-and-burn land clearing.

Greenpeace International told Eco-Business that some Singapore-based companies are known to source palm oil from companies involved in the fire clearing and forest destruction.

Haze in Singapore can go on for weeks, masks and air purifier sales are up

Haze in Singapore is getting worse as at one point the Singapore PSI hit a new record of 371, making yesterday the most hazy day in Singapore's history. And in my opinion, today is worse, since the thick smoke can be felt everywhere, in underground MRT stations and tunnels to offices with air conditioning systems.

The best way to protect yourself from haze is to stay indoors as soon as possible. If your air conditioning system has air purification function, also keep it on.

If you really need to stay outside for a long time, you will need a mask. But it seems like everywhere is out of mask stock, especially the N95 masks (a special mask which can filter 95% of particles in air larger than 0.3 micron). On the other hand, indoor air purifier sales are up with the hope that they will work to keep haze outside.

Air purifiers also saw an overwhelming interest amongst concerned consumers. Courts Singapore said sales of its air purifiers tripled compared to last week. It said prices of air purifiers at its stores range from about S$170 to S$1,300. [1]

N95 masks filter 95% of particals with more than 0.3 micron size.

Many online dealers have also started to offer campaign on air purifiers to take advantage of the demand. For example Deal.sg has a Beat The Haze Campaign currently where some quality air purifiers goes on for sale with discount. The products range from a large Sharp Air Purifier from $499 to a tiny USB Air purifier for $12.

 It may be a good idea to invest into something like this since according to Singapore's Prime Minister haze can stay for weeks and even months and it will probably be repeated in the next dry season.

[1] - Sales of face masks increase as Singaporeans take preventive measures against haze