HAZE A LONG-TERM ISSUE BUT S'PORE, SAF STAND READY: DR NG

With the pall of haze hanging over the island nation, Singaporeans rallied to push through it. Stories of resilience abound as Singaporeans got together of their own accord to fight the haze.

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) joined in the effort when it was tasked to distribute a million N95 masks to 88 locations islandwide on 22 Jun.

Allocated for lower-income families and vulnerable groups, the masks were part of the four million ordered to be released from the Government stockpile.

"I found it meaningful: what we did made sure that people got masks to protect themselves, whether they had money or not," said 3rd Sergeant Dennis Tay, a Section Commander from the 3rd SAF Transport Battalion. The 22 year-old Full-time National Serviceman was part of a team coordinating the distribution of masks on the ground.

For Corporal Muhammad Qaiyum bin Zulfliki, a Transport Operator who helped to deliver about 200,000 masks on his 5-tonne truck that day, the experience was something he will remember about his National Service days.

"When I reached the depot (to collect the masks), I was surprised how many vehicles were mobilised. It was quite impressive." In addition to three 5-tonne trucks, 44 Multi-Role Utility Vehicles were also deployed to move the masks.

He added: "I felt good that I was doing something for my country."

The effort extended to the grassroots organisations, as they helped to distribute the masks. One such volunteer was Mr Shaun Yeo, who helped to give out the masks at a block of rental flats in the Chai Chee estate.

"The residents were grateful and you could tell that they (the residents) appreciated the effort." said Mr Yeo.

He added: "It's not easy to move such a large quantity of masks in such a short time. It's a good demonstration of the readiness of the SAF." The 19 year-old, who had just enlisted for NS on 9 May, gave up his weekend to lead a group of 10 volunteers and went door-to-door to check on residents who were mostly elderly folk.

In cyberspace, other messages of encouragement came in for the SAF. Said Ms Eileen Teo on her Facebook page on 29 Jun: "Thumbs up to SAF heroes, working round the clock to deliver masks. At 2am, these macho guys in their smart uniforms arrived... together we unloaded (the masks), getting ready to protect the vulnerable families in Kembangan-Chai Chee."

From the top-level Haze Inter-Ministerial Committee (HIMC) overseeing the situation, to various groups distributing N95 masks, to ordinary citizens helping each other out, the message was clear: Singapore does not stop for the haze.

Recounting the past two weeks, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen, who leads the HIMC, said: "If the haze does return, we are confident that Singaporeans will take it in our stride and that our systems will continue as they are. We'll continue on with our lives."

Speaking to the media on 5 Jul, Dr Ng said there were five key lessons from the recent haze. First, that the haze is a long-term problem due to the slash-and-burn methods used to clear farm land in Indonesia.

To tackle that problem at its source, Singapore must keep up diplomatic efforts and also enlist the help of non-governmental agencies to facilitate more sustainable and environmentally friendly practices in Indonesia, said Dr Ng.

What the haze episode also showed was the need for a better early warning system, said Dr Ng as he explained the second lesson learnt.

Although the Government has started publishing next-day advisories, it is looking into doing more. Recognising the difficulty in predicting weather, Dr Ng said: "The Ministry of Environment and Water Resources and the National Environment Agency are actually looking into (developing) a better predictive model with health and weather experts."

The third lesson was that information management is key to tackling the haze situation. To help Singaporeans go about their daily lives, the HIMC recognised that it had to cater to the needs of different groups. The Government is in the midst of learning how best to do this and has started with daily health advisories and a one-stop authoritative haze website. But more can be done in this aspect and things will certainly be improved, said Dr Ng.

Fourth, contingency plans worked and Singapore is able to respond to challenges. The Government has comprehensive drawer-plans to deal with threats and the haze proved that the "Singapore System" works, reassured Dr Ng.

The fifth key lesson was that Singaporeans were resilient; taking initiative to tackling the haze problem in their own ways. On the ground, some Singaporeans opened up their homes and offered their air-conditioned rooms as refuge to neighbours. Others distributed masks which they had managed to buy from overseas. Some used social media platforms such as Facebook to coordinate their efforts.

These efforts showed Singapore and Singaporeans' resilience, said Dr Ng. "I must say I was really gratified at what various groups were doing. Nobody told them to do (it)."

Even with clear skies overhead for these past two weeks, the work to combat the haze is ongoing.

Said Dr Ng: "Government agencies will continue to sharpen our contingency plans and apply the lessons learnt during this episode, and the inter-ministerial committee will remain watchful during this dry season because as we know, the haze can return."