Dazed by Haze
The recent serious haze problem has caught many Singaporeans off-guard, including the neighboring countries around Indonesia.
When I first smelt the burning smell in the end at the initial mild hazy period, I just shrugged it off thinking that it would just be a passing phase.
As days goes by, the PSI shot up to 200+. That was when I start to get concerned about it but it never crossed my mind to do anything about it. I chose to ignore like how I always did whenever Singapore was hit by the haze caused by burning of the forest.
But when it went beyond 300 and eventually hitting the historically highest point of PSI of 401, I was practically frustrated that I had lingering smokey smell in my hair and clothes, the pain in my chest and how I felt so constricted breathing the polluted air.
Looking back, after the haze has subsided, I realized how we as Singaporeans are totally unprepared for such events.
Imagine if, like what some people has described the haze as a "Budget Chemical Warfare". Air is what keeps us humans alive and if that was compromised, would we still be able to survive without the necessary equipments or infrastructure?
Clearly, we would not have survived. I wondered how many households actually have N95 masks at home? What if another SARS-like epidemic break out again? It scares me because if something had really happened that was lethal enough to kill. I would highly likely die because I don't keep any masks at home and people are hoarding masks or profiteering from the sudden surge of masks' demand.
I believe we can be better-equipped to protect ourselves from such crisis had there been (1) measures taken to alert us of the impending haze situation (2) education on how we can be prepared for such situations (3) faster response from the government on advisories and protocols.
Instead of blaming the Indonesia government, the government could have been more proactive in controlling the haze situation. This should have been done years ago when we were plagued with this haze problem, and not like when the haze hit Singapore at a hazardous level.
While the government acts on their part in controlling the haze together with the Indonesian government, let's not forget that we are also responsible for our own safety. Remember to keep an emergency supply to prevent similar situations in times of crisises again.
My heart goes out to those news journalist who have to do live reporting in Indonesia just to report to us the latest news and updates on the situation.
The recent serious haze problem has caught many Singaporeans off-guard, including the neighboring countries around Indonesia.
When I first smelt the burning smell in the end at the initial mild hazy period, I just shrugged it off thinking that it would just be a passing phase.
As days goes by, the PSI shot up to 200+. That was when I start to get concerned about it but it never crossed my mind to do anything about it. I chose to ignore like how I always did whenever Singapore was hit by the haze caused by burning of the forest.
But when it went beyond 300 and eventually hitting the historically highest point of PSI of 401, I was practically frustrated that I had lingering smokey smell in my hair and clothes, the pain in my chest and how I felt so constricted breathing the polluted air.
Looking back, after the haze has subsided, I realized how we as Singaporeans are totally unprepared for such events.
Imagine if, like what some people has described the haze as a "Budget Chemical Warfare". Air is what keeps us humans alive and if that was compromised, would we still be able to survive without the necessary equipments or infrastructure?
Clearly, we would not have survived. I wondered how many households actually have N95 masks at home? What if another SARS-like epidemic break out again? It scares me because if something had really happened that was lethal enough to kill. I would highly likely die because I don't keep any masks at home and people are hoarding masks or profiteering from the sudden surge of masks' demand.
I believe we can be better-equipped to protect ourselves from such crisis had there been (1) measures taken to alert us of the impending haze situation (2) education on how we can be prepared for such situations (3) faster response from the government on advisories and protocols.
Instead of blaming the Indonesia government, the government could have been more proactive in controlling the haze situation. This should have been done years ago when we were plagued with this haze problem, and not like when the haze hit Singapore at a hazardous level.
While the government acts on their part in controlling the haze together with the Indonesian government, let's not forget that we are also responsible for our own safety. Remember to keep an emergency supply to prevent similar situations in times of crisises again.
My heart goes out to those news journalist who have to do live reporting in Indonesia just to report to us the latest news and updates on the situation.
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| Photo credits: ChannelNewsAsia.com |
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