401 PSI (Its Not A Radio Station!)

I wake up this morning, in my otherwise dark bedroom and thank all that is holy that our landlord invested in some heavy curtains. However in a second my still sleep addled brain registers something else. At first it senses as hickory smoked bacon and my stomach growls, demanding such a delightful treat. Then it registered there is no bacon (A great act of heresy my stomach declares!) but instead just the smell of smoke.

Most people would wake with a start, screaming fire and desperately trying to discover the source of the smoke billowing into their room.

Instead my feeling is general annoyance, I know its the smell of haze that has invaded my bedroom, through a forgotten bathroom window left open the night before!

One step outside my front door and I can't see more than a hundred or so feet from my HDB flat, the towering cranes of Singapore Harbour are faint outlines in the clouds, the boats and ocean beyond them are lost in the white wash. Every second outside and my throat burns hots from the smoke and the sting irritates my eyes.

A step back in and I can see the faint flush of white between my front door and the kitchen, noticing with great annoyance that the shirts I hung to dry the night before now smell like ash, forcing me to invent several colourful curse words as I toss them back into the washer. I know its a waste but what is the point, even if I won't wear them until weeks after the haze is finally gone, they'll still smell of smoke and make everything else in my closet smell just as bad.

I grumble to myself on my way into work, finding that the streets are lost in this hot haze and everyone has adopted a surgical face mask as their fashion accessory of choice. Those that are not fortunate have taken to hold handkerchiefs over their faces, wrapped scarves about their heads, people have even fashioned palm leafs into woven masks to cover their nose and mouths.

I managed to snag a box from the pharmacy downstairs, though I note after my purchase that the price on the box is barely a third of what my wallet says was stolen out of it. But still I draw the mask over my face and instantly hate the feeling of my own hot breath blowing back into my face, making my cheeks and mouth literally sweat as the heat of the surrounding air seems to double in strength. Silently I thank all that is holy for a second time that morning that I went with my orange flavoured mouthwash instead of the piercing peppermint one. But it doesn't help as my hot breath keeps flushing up and out of the top of the mask, fogging my glasses and forcing me to walk nearly two avenues to work pinching the top of the cloth, trying to keep my spectacles clear.

Arriving at work, trying to work a paper napkin over my forehead to do away with the sweat that's gathered after my barely 10-minute walk to the office, I notice a few responses to my Facebook updates from the night before and have to stifle a groan at the responses some people have sent me:

• "What are you talking about? Haze?"
• "Has a volcano erupted in Asia?"
• "Why are all the pictures you post of fog? I love a foggy morning!"
• "Why does everyone in Asia wear those face masks?"

To cover all of them at once, here's the story and pardon me if I come off annoyed recounting it, but most people lost in the haze cloud are very perturbed. 

Last week, as the dry season (Summer for South-East Asia) began, farmers in nearby Sumatra, Indonesia, started to clear new land for growing. To do this they went with the cheapest and fastest way to get rid of the otherwise wall of plants and jungle, employing slash and burning tactics. Literally, they set a fire and wait as the dry air and nature's fury goes to work. It wouldn't hurt many other than the locals around the fire but Sumatra lays directly in an array of wind patterns that generally blow northward... into heavily populated Singapore. Worse, the wind patterns of the region tend to circle the island of Singapore, meaning that once the smoke has arrived, nature keeps the white burning clouds swirling around it like a suffocating hurricane. 

If it couldn't get worse, haze (the smoke ash cloud) actually traps heat and sucks up moisture, making the already tropical weather hotter and the air drier. Since the dry season entails a lack of rain, this is further exacerbated because relief from a storm is near impossible. 

The result, a hot, dry cloud of smoke has settled over the island, a fresh breeze now causes your eyes to sting, your throat to hurt and your cloths smell like smoke. 

Of course it makes people uncomfortable but one look at the Pollutant Standard Index (PSI) issued hourly by the government can make your eyes bug out. On average, Singapore enjoy's beautiful weather and has a PSI that sits on average below 50. Between 51 to 100 is considered moderate air quality, 101 to 200 is unhealthy air quality, 201 - 300 is considered very unhealthy air quality and above 300 is designated hazardous.

Today for the first in history, the Singapore PSI rating was 400!

Check out the PSI ratings for the last five days below. Hint: Black is considered BAD. 

What has Indonesia's response to a few of their farmers literally bringing the health of an entire country of five-million into question. To say it was callous and dismissive would be an understatement, insulting and pretentious is what I thought when I first read it. 

According to Channel New Asia, the Indonesia minister appointed to the crisis, Agung Laksono has publicly decried Singapore's outrage at the situation as almost laughable! 

"Singapore should not be behaving like a child and making all this noise," Laksono said, while his government concurrently blamed Singaporean and Malaysian palm oil companies (vegetable oil) who own or buy from those slash & burn farmers for allowing their suppliers to continue using the cheap practice of burning forests over the expensive practice of mechanically clearing them.

Laksono's dismissive remarks have of course sparked outrage in the country and the Singaporean government has angry rebuffed the remarks. They have both declared for decisive action to be taken while offer financial aid to help combat the fires, aid that Indonesia has refused, declaring it too small to make a difference and saying the country would handle the issue itself. An idea to use cloud seeding, dropping sodium shells into rain clouds to force them to rain, was floated about between both countries but again, we are in the first weeks of the dry season, a period of three months where rain is scarce... hence why the haze crisis is of even greater concern. 

The Minister's response is a very common one from Indonesia, who have a history of dismissing Singapore as nothing more than an island who's a little too full of itself and too prone to complaining about things. The response is also very common how Indonesia responds to most of Asia, that it can do what it wants... a disconcerting hold over attitude from 90s tenure of Indonesian President Suharto, which generally were marred by economic crisis, institutional corruption and a Western-backed invasion of East Timor, which was known for its brutal violence that led to 100,000 deaths! 

With the politicians point fingers and bicker, the people of Singapore are left to adapt however they can:

• Surgical face masks have nearly sold out, with stores refusing advance ordering to avoid hoarding. For those that are sold our, specially designed vitamin packs to help against the smoke. (Don't buy from people on the corner selling them unless your desperate, rumour has it they are just sewing cheap tissues together which are good for like an hour before they fall apart!)
• The Ministry of Manpower is considering a work stop for all individuals who work outside (construction workers, delivery men, truck drivers) because their health can not be guaranteed. Last time that happened in 1997, Singapore lost over S$6-billion in lost revenue, health claims and a slowed economy. 
• Planes at Changi Airport have been delayed as pilots are advised to take longer periods of time to land during the white-out. 
• Nurses are handing out face masks on public transit, where most transit stations are open air. 
• Malls and shopping centres have encouraged patrons to shut doors behind them, even posting security and reception to make sure none are left open to allow smoke inside. 
• Outdoor temples have begun to deploy overhead canvas, to protect their worshippers. 
• Offices have advised office workers to stay inside, if they need to go outside take a complimentary face mask to be safe. If you feel sick, stay home (Honestly the windows are better sealed in the office and the air conditioner is industrial size, I feel safer at work then at home!)
• Restaurants are selling winter melon soup by the gallon, claiming it will help battle the toxins in the air. It honestly tastes like pork broth, if you've ever had Wonton soup and you'll know the flavour! It's surprisingly invigorating. 

Well until next time, AngMoh waiting out haze and wishing all of Singapore good health in the cloud skies.