Forest Fire Pollution Mars Singapore Grand Prix as Levels Reach Highest of the Year

The annual Singapore Grand Prix went ahead last month amid concerns over mounting air pollution levels in the city state. Smoke gathering from forest fires in nearby Indonesia had been piling up over the Marina Bay Circuit in Singapore and led to pollution levels reaching their highest of the year.

There had been fears that the event would have to be called off due to the spiralling pollution levels, which reached 222 in Singapore’s Pollutant Standards Index (PSI), Singapore’s principal measure of air quality, on the Monday prior to the event. The National Environment Agency (NEA) rate levels above 200 as “very unhealthy”.

2015 High Jeopardises Race

Though the levels later fell to 118 that day (“unhealthy”, according to PSI), the staggering 222 count was the highest on record so far this year. The haze caused by the pollution had already led to the cancellation of several outdoor events and a final decision about the F1 race was delayed up until the last minute.

“Based on the current PSI levels, there are no plans to amend the published racing and entertainment program. The haze situation is highly changeable not only from day to day, but from hour to hour. Therefore, it is currently not possible to reliably predict what the PSI level might be over the race weekend,” said a statement from race organisers before the event. “In the event that the haze caused visibility, public health or operational issues, Singapore GP would work closely with the relevant agencies before making any collective decisions regarding the event.”

The high warning levels had also placed schools on alert, with all exercise for children – both indoor and outdoor – being called off until air quality had improved. In heavily polluted zones such as those found across Asia, the importance of clean air in homes and buildings should not be underestimated, either.

The pollution was brought about by a series of forest fires in Indonesia. Two weeks before the Grand Prix event, Singapore had already contacted Indonesian authorities to express concern over the increasing clouds of haze and offer support. This support took the form of air-based cloud-seeding operational units and firefighting teams – but was declined by the Indonesians. These fires have been an ongoing issue for some years now and result primarily from private companies illegally burning forest areas to clear the land for palm oil plantations.

Air Quality a Widespread Concern Across Asia

As a developing part of the world prone to mass population booms and huge industrial growth (along with often underdeveloped health and safety systems in place), Asia has faced a mounting crisis with regards to its air quality situation.

China’s pollution problems are well-documented, but thankfully the Asian super-country appears to have entered a new era in air quality monitoring, developing sophisticated new systems for keeping track of pollution levels and setting aside a sizable budget to deal with the issues.

Meanwhile, Vietnam has also made strides in order to gain a better grasp of its own air quality situation with the use of the Air Quality Index (AQI) system. This technique requires the synthesis and analysis of real-time statistics from monitoring stations – to learn more, check out the article Air Quality Assessment and Air Pollution Zoning of Hanoi Using Air Quality Index.