The latest reports indicate that Singapore will soon be seeing more days with the air quality which will be rated as ‘moderate’. The new classification will be effective as of May 1, 2014, as smaller polluting particles of PM2.5 will be added to the Pollutant Standards Index readings.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a statement that after including the PM2,5 particles in the PSI, a higher number of days will be classified as ‘moderate’ than before. Despite this, the actual concentration of pollutants will stay the same. The statement added, “This is purely due to the integration of the PM2.5 concentrations into the PSI scale”.
The NEA also said that people can continue with their normal activities if the air quality is in the ‘good’ or ‘moderate’ range and that there will be no changes on the ground. The Minister for Environment and Water Resources, Vivian Balakrishnan told Parliament on March 11, 2014 that Singapore will have an integrated air quality reporting index, where the PM2.5 will be included in the present PSI and will be counted as the sixth parameter.
It has also been reported that the health advisory will be based on the new 24-hour PSI and will directly take into account the PM2.5. The NEA also said that air quality information will be announced regularly, on an hourly basis, from 7 am until 11 pm during non-haze periods.
Photo Credits: Google
