Indonesia's forest fires continue to burn, and thick smoke blankets Singapore. Air purifiers and masks have become highly sought-after items in the local market.
According to Bloomberg's report on October 15, Singapore is facing the worst smog conditions in over a decade. Some models of air purifiers from brands such as Xiaomi and Dyson have run out of stock. Candy Cao, marketing director at appliance retailer Gain City, revealed that since the start of the smog season in August, sales of air purifiers have increased to about 9 times the previous level.
On October 9th, the skyline around the Singapore Central Business District was obscured by thick fog. Visual China
"Weekends see especially high demand, some popular models have been sold out, even customers bought the demonstration units directly to take home immediately." She stated that the company is speeding up replenishment.
N95 masks are also being snapped up. Several online pharmacies in Singapore have reported that some of the masks are sold out or waiting to be restocked.
Local air quality continues to deteriorate. On the 14th, the air pollution index in some areas of Singapore reached the highest level. According to data from the air quality monitoring agency IQAir, Singapore became one of the cities with the worst air pollution globally, with Indonesia’s Jakarta following closely behind. Among the five monitored areas in Singapore, four reached an “unhealthy” level, and the western region even reached a “very unhealthy” level.
The Singapore government convened an interdepartmental task force on smoke and haze on the 9th. Starting from the 15th, N95 masks were distributed to vulnerable groups. Community haze shelters were opened, outdoor activities for students and military personnel were restricted, and some sports facilities were closed.
Singapore's Minister for Sustainable Development and Environment, Grace Fu, stated that the government is collecting evidence and may take legal action under the Cross-Border Smoke Pollution Act. Companies responsible for causing or facilitating fires could face fines of up to S$2 million (approximately RMB10.45 million).
Smog also affected neighboring Malaysia, with millions of children affected by school closures. Some flights between Singapore’s Changi Airport were cancelled.
According to data from the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry, more than 8,000 fire points were detected in October, setting a record high for the same period since 2015. The thick smoke has affected aerial firefighting operations, and authorities are trying to use aircraft to disperse dry ice particles to carry out artificial rainfall enhancement. Indonesia expects the rainy season to be delayed until November or December this year.
