Lingering haze could bring about home-based learning

As the haze in Singapore remains in the unhealthy range, NTU prepares to handle it

By Louisa Tang, Chief Editor

The University has said that it may activate home-based learning, should the current haze situation worsen.

An NTU spokesman told the Nanyang Chronicle that the University’s haze task force is closely monitoring the situation, and that appropriate measures will be taken to deal with it in line with government agency advisories.

“All student organisations and outdoor matches have also been re-scheduled or advised to suspend their outdoor events should the PSI reading reach 100 and above,” he added.

Several activities around campus have been affected. Hall of Residence 7, for example, cancelled its night cycling event on 11 Sep, while Hall 2 has been advised to cancel its own night cycling event on Friday (18 Sep). Students taking the Soccer module, offered by Sport Science & Management, were not allowed to play outside this week as well.

Outdoor competitions for the ongoing Singapore University Games (SUniG), which is slated to go on till the end of this month, have been postponed whenever the PSI was above 100, said the NTU spokesman.

All outdoor SUniG games were cancelled on Monday (14 Sep), while football matches last week were postponed, due to worsening haze conditions.

Meanwhile, the University has advised students to seek medical attention at the NTU Medical Centre on campus should they require it.

NTU has also stocked up on N95 masks for those who need them, particularly those who need to work outdoors and those with heart or respiratory conditions.

The three-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) as of noon today was 92, on the high end of the moderate range, while the 24-hour PSI was at 96-121, in the unhealthy range.

The three-hour PSI hit a two-year high on Monday (14 Sep), peaking at 249 at 9pm. Air quality has remained in the unhealthy range for several days since last Saturday (12 Sep).

A PSI reading ranging from 51 to 100 is moderate, while anything from 101 and 200 is considered unhealthy. Air quality reaches hazardous levels when the PSI exceeds 300.

In 2013, Singapore suffered one of its most serious haze episodes, when the three-hour PSI peaked at 401 on 21 June.