Workers' Party Chief Pritam Singh says haze in Singapore this year affected him more than in years past 

SINGAPORE: In a social media post on Thursday (Sep 24), Pritam Singh said he was thankful for the clear weather the night before, as the lack of haze made house visits to Damai easier. 

Haze conditions hit him differently this year, added the longtime Aljunied Member of Parliament and secretary-general of the Workers’ Party (WP).

“For some reason, this year’s haze has managed to get to me more than previous episodes from years past - raspy throat, dull headache at times, and irritated eyes. All said, like many Singaporeans, I was thankful for the heavy rains and change in wind direction over the last few days which has helped keep the haze at bay,” he wrote.

Indeed, haze had worsened earlier this month, with four of Singapore’s five regions recording unhealthy air quality on Sep 14. The central region reached a Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) of 136.

According to the National Environment Agency (NEA) at the time, smoke from fires in Kalimantan and southern Sumatra was drifting towards Singapore due to winds shifting east-southeast.

Conditions were better this week, with the rains helping out, as Mr Singh pointed out. On Thursday, the NEA said the PSI forecast was expected to be in the moderate to low-unhealthy range. At 6:00 pm, the 24-hour PSI was moderate, ranging between 62 and 76.

Thus, the WP chief called his haze-free house visits at Damai “enjoyable, with great conversations all around.”

He wrote that some residents had asked about the timeline for the HDB Home Improvement Programme (HIP) that had been announced for Jalan Damai. While the actual dates for the programme have yet to be announced, Mr Singh wrote that based on the timelines for the Jalan Tenaga HIP announced in 2025, he believes that voting is likely to take place next year, followed by actual works the year after.

While these dates are still uncertain, he asked residents to hold back planned renovations on their bathrooms, so that they may take full advantage of the subsidies offered under the HIP.

“The night ended in the best way possible. The community line-dancing group had a buffet on the occasion of the Mid-Autumn Festival for their members and kindly invited Team Eunos and I to partake in some superb potluck makan. Thank you so much! 中秋节快乐 !” the WP chief wrote. /TISG

Read also: Rise in cough, throat irritation, and breathing discomfort cases in Singapore amid haze; doctors advise to limit outdoor activity if air quality worsens