Government agencies ready to tackle the impact of haze: NEA

[SINGAPORE] Government agencies are ready to tackle the impact of the haze, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Government's Haze Task Force (HTF), which is led by NEA and comprises 28 government agencies, stands ready to "minimise and manage the impact of haze on the public", NEA said.

The government agencies in the task force have plans in place that allow tiered responses depending on the intensity of the haze, which is based on the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) readings and forecasts.

NEA said that agencies have implemented plans and advisories to protect the health and well-being of the public - especially vulnerable groups such as the elderly, pregnant women, children and people with chronic lung and heart diseases - since the PSI in the western part of Singapore entered the "unhealthy" range last Saturday.

The HTF meets in May every year, at the start of the dry season, to discuss the weather and haze situation, and to update its plans.

THE STRAITS TIMES