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Worsening haze conditions force S'pore to close schools

Xinhua, September 24, 2015 Adjust font size:

Singapore's Education Minister Heng Swee Keat announced on Thursday evening that primary and secondary schools in the city state will be closed on Friday due to worsening haze conditions.

Air quality in Singapore deteriorated on Thursday. According to data from Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA), the 24- hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) was 215-263, moving entirely into the very unhealthy range at 8:00 p.m. local time on Thursday. The three-hour PSI climbed to 317 in the hazardous range.

A reading above 100 means that the air quality is "unhealthy," and a reading above 200 is "very unhealthy." It is considered " hazardous" if the reading hits 300.

A check on NEA's MyEnv app revealed that the hourly PM 2.5 in the south was 319. Readings for the other parts of Singapore ranged between 221 and 267.

At a technical media briefing on Thursday evening, Minister Heng said the decision that schools will be closed on Friday was made as a precaution. The minister added that the GCE "O" level practical examination for Music, originally to be held on Friday, will be rescheduled to Sept. 29.

Singapore's Minister for Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan said worsening haze conditions were due to a tropical storm in the Western Pacific, somewhere to the east of the Philippines, which caused a change in wind direction.

In light of worsening haze conditions, Singapore Sports Hub said it would be suspending outdoor activities. Outdoor venues would be reopened and activities will resume when air quality improves, according to Singapore Sports Hub's statement. Endi