SINGAPORE: One topic many Singaporeans are talking about these days is the haze situation, which is at its worst in over a decade. Due to forest and peat fires in Indonesia, combined with this year’s Super El Niño phenomenon, the haze has caused Singapore to be among the most polluted cities around the globe.
On Thursday (Oct 15), the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) breached 200 in the west, with a very unhealthy reading (203). In the other four regions, readings were in the unhealthy band between 127 and 192.
Meanwhile, on social media, some Singaporeans appear to be longing for days gone by when there were clear skies, posting photos of the same area from before and after this year’s haze problem set in.
Reddit user xianzx posted a side-by-side photo of Raffles Place on Oct 14, taken exactly one year apart. On the left, the colours are still pretty distinct, with the green of the trees and the orange of the roofs standing out. On the right, it looks as though a very cloudy filter had been applied, as buildings and greenery are enveloped in smoke.
“Thanks for this comparison; it has been too long that I have forgotten what ‘clear visibility’ is,” a commenter wrote.
Another post from u/remyworldpeace showed a contrast that was even more stark.
The post author put up a side-by-side image of the view from the top of a Dawson HDB on Oct 14 beside another taken in June.
They explained that on the left side is Gunung Pulai in Johor, which is 45 km away.
“On a very clear day you can see mountains in Malaysia and Indonesia even further away! I've never seen it so bad before; in no direction can you see any regular landmarks,” they added.
A number of commenters on the post wrote that they thought the photo had not loaded correctly, as all they could see was white on the right side.
U/xdavestrix posted two photos taken from St John Island. The first was on a clear day from the past, and Singapore’s skyline appears clearly. In the next picture, while the sea can still be seen in the foreground, nothing else is distinct.
“Singapore's skyline totally disappeared from view; can't even see anything from here, it's like I just entered Silent Hill,” the post author wrote.
“The consequences of reckless capitalism, made visible for all to see,” a commenter wrote. /TISG