National Emergency Response to Occurrence of Haze

Miss Penny Low asked the Prime Minister (a) whether there is a systematic and timely communication plan that connects our residents with accurate information and guidance on the haze situation and other unforeseen national challenges; and (b) whether the Government leverages on the opportunity to educate residents about proper use of masks, hygiene, effects of deforestation and harmful methods, especially via the new media, in the current haze situation.

Mr Laurence Lien asked the Prime Minister (a) how can the Government's contingency plans and public communications to deal with the haze conditions be further improved should the haze become more serious again for a prolonged period in the future; and (b) how can the Government harness the community spirit and initiative in dealing with the haze.

Miss Penny Low asked the Prime Minister in view of the recent haze situation, whether the Government will consider (i) waiving the electricity-related GST charges for households; and (ii) providing lower income citizen households in rental and smaller flats with a one-off top-up rebate for those on the Utilities-Save scheme.

Mr Teo Siong Seng asked the Prime Minister whether the Government will be providing assistance or compensation, such as the temporary waiver of foreign worker levies, to companies whose business operations are adversely affected by prolonged and worsening haze conditions.

Members of the House would have been thankful that we enjoyed good weather for the last two weeks. And with the haze lifted, Singaporeans could breathe fresh and healthy air once again. Two Saturdays ago, the Gardens by the Bay held their First Anniversary celebrations. It was 29 June. More than 10,000 people turned up. It was held in the open. Just imagine if the PSI that day had shot up, the disappointment if the event had to be cancelled. Good, fresh air, clean environment. This is the Singapore that we treasure and have worked hard to build: a home with clear skies, clean air, and beautiful green spaces for us and our loved ones to enjoy.

But the haze reminds us that in our inter-connected world, even the clean air we breathe cannot be taken for granted. Events far away can impact us here with great consequences. You remember SARS, H1N1, H5N1, and we realise how animal husbandry practices in other countries – it is fascinating to read – how close intermingling of different species facilitated viruses to mutate, viruses jumping from one animal species to another and then, finally, to humans to seed global pandemics. Well, the recent haze was carried by winds from the smouldering peatlands of Central Sumatra, some 300 kilometres away, and it drove the 3-hour PSI in Singapore to a record high of 401 on 21 June, higher than the previous record set of 226 in 1997. Residents here feared for their health. Visits to the NEA website peaked at five million hits that day. All of us contributed to it because, like them, we were checking ever so often, every few minutes, to see if the air quality was getting worse.

Members of Parliament have asked if we were prepared for the haze threat and if our emergency response and Haze Action Plans were adequate. I would say that we have done reasonably well so far, but there are gaps that need to be plugged. Let me focus on the crucial issue of our national emergency plans, as it has wider and more important implications on our ability to respond to various crisis scenarios and I think this is, in fact, what Members are asking: if a subsequent crisis develops, much more severe than the haze, how prepared is Singapore?

Government agencies have learnt from our own experiences tackling national threats over the last decade or so. You remember them well. These preparations included events post-9/11 and the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) plot in 2001, SARS in 2003, H5N1 in 2004, H1N1 in 2009 and the Fukushima nuclear incident in 2011. In addition, we have incorporated painful lessons learnt by others. Following the London bus bombings in July 2005 and the Mumbai terrorist attack in November 2008, our security agencies met up with the British

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and Indian officials actively involved in managing these crises. We gained a better understanding. We asked probing questions. We wanted to know how these attacks were carried out, how the security forces and public reacted, and what measures were put in place in the aftermath of the attacks – what they considered they did well, what they could do better for us to learn. And these valuable learning points were used to enhance our own contingency plans.

These experiences have resulted in more robust whole-of-Government organisational structures and response plans to deal with emergencies and contingencies affecting Singapore. Let me first talk on organisational structures. For the recent haze, the Inter-Agency Haze Task Force (HTF), comprising 23 agencies, first met on 29 May this year to prepare for the dry season, about two weeks before the haze actually hit us. As Mr Chen pointed out, the Haze Task Force was first formed in 1994. Recognising that the haze can recur, the Task Force is, in fact, activated yearly, ahead of the dry season, to review its procedures and responses and coordinate agencies' ground actions. It reports to the Crisis Management Group.

Crisis Management Groups (CMGs) were institutionalised since 2004 to handle specific threats when they escalate. For this haze episode, the CMG (Haze) was stood up on 20 June this year. The CMGs report to the Homefront Crisis Executive Group (HCEG), made up of Permanent Secretaries of relevant Ministries, chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The Haze Inter-Ministerial Committee (HIMC) was convened by the Prime Minister on 20 June. The Prime Minister explained that the Inter-Ministerial Committee would "oversee the overall national efforts" against the haze. It included Ministers from key Ministries – MEWR, MFA, MCI, MOH, MOE, MSF and MOM. The Inter-Ministerial Committee was an added new step, and one calibrated appropriately to deal with the haze problem. For Members' information, the apex organisation structure to deal with national crises is the Homefront Crisis Ministerial Committee (HCMC) chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean as Home Affairs Minister. The Homefront Crisis Ministerial team was last activated in March 2011 in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear incident, because we felt the effects of the fallout on us could potentially have been serious. But the haze is in no way a nuclear threat and did not warrant the HCMC. I want to assure Singaporeans that our structures to respond to national emergencies are in place and functioning as intended.

Let me now focus specifically on our overall response to the haze which Members have asked about. The Inter-Ministerial Committee's focus was to

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protect public health and safety, work with Indonesians to mitigate the haze at source, and maintain economic and social resilience. You have just heard the Minister for Foreign Affairs speak about our work with the Indonesian counterparts, and Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) will also share more on what we are doing. We are dependent on Indonesians to solve the problem at source. In the meantime, we were determined not to let the haze overwhelm us. We sought to minimise disruptions so that Singaporeans could carry on with their lives. The Committee hoped that the way we responded would show how Singaporeans were united and resilient as a people, able to withstand the vicissitudes that life inevitably brings.

To summarise, when the 3-hour PSI spiked at 401 on 21 June, there was a run on masks and even panic buying. We had more than enough masks in stock but retailers encountered bottlenecks in distributing them and could not bring out masks fast enough to their outlets.

The first task for the Committee was to restore calm and protect the vulnerable. We, therefore, decided to give free N95 masks to some 200,000 low-income households. The SAF was called in to deliver the masks from the warehouses where MOH had stocked masks, to the 87 constituencies. Here, let me record that the People's Association grassroots network proved crucial and invaluable. The SAF could bring the masks to the constituencies but whether you had the database, whether you had natural links that were formed, whether grassroots leaders knew who the vulnerable and the poor were and how to distribute to them. We were very fortunate, in fact, dependent on the PA grassroots networks, to be able to do this on such a large scale – 200,000 households across Singapore.

At the same time, MOH pushed out another three million masks to retailers for the general public. With additional mask supplies, queues dissipated. And, of course, if you remember, a sudden shift in wind directions on 22 June, Saturday afternoon cleared the haze and helped tremendously.

We also introduced various additional measures to help the public deal with the effects of the haze. The Prime Minister announced a scheme for those affected by the haze to visit polyclinics or general practitioners, and pay no more than $10, with the Government subsidising the bill. MSF set up a fund to help childcare centres install air-conditioning units.

Miss Penny Low asked about utilities rebates for households if they have to spend more on utilities because of the haze. Thankfully, the period of severe

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haze lasted only two days and we already have in place various schemes that provide utility rebates. For example, the GST Voucher – U-Save payments will be disbursed this month to lower- and middle-income households living in HDB flats. The first half of the GST Voucher (GSTV) Special Payment announced during the Budget this year will also be disbursed this month. Eligible HDB households will receive between $135 and $195 worth of GSTV – U-Save this month. Those living in smaller HDB flats will be able to offset between two and three months of utilities on average.

At the same time, dealing with acute issues, all the Ministries pressed on with their Haze Action Plans. The overall goal was to protect Singaporeans and, even if the haze worsened, to "adjust and slow down, but not to stop". We examined all sectors in detail, paying particular attention to those vulnerable and working outdoors for long periods – in our schools, childcare and kindergarten facilities; VWO homes; businesses with outdoor activities, such as construction, logistics, shipyards, F&B, garbage disposal and cleaners and so on.

We focused particularly on critical and essential services – such as healthcare facilities, security operations; supply of power, water, fuel, food, banking & finance, postal – to ensure that Singapore would not seize up even when the air quality turned hazardous.

Mr Hri Kumar Nair and Mr Laurence Lien asked about the plans should the haze return. These Haze Action Plans that we have gone through in detail, put up by all our Ministries, will steer Singapore on and through the haze, when it returns. Ministries will continue to refine them as we go along, but I am satisfied that the basic framework is sound and comprehensive.

Mr Teo Siong Seng asked about compensation for businesses affected by the haze. The National Business Continuity Management (BCM) Programme has been in place since 2008 to provide financial incentives to help companies attain Business Continuity Management certification. Interested companies can apply for support through the Singapore Business Federation (SBF).

Many Members have asked for an assessment of our efforts in communication, guidance and education during this haze episode. I agree with them that this is one area we can improve on. During emergencies – perceived or real – lack of information or misinformation can often create greater problems than the threat itself. I think that is what we saw in some measures

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during the panic mask buying, or during SARS, if you can remember.

When there is a threat, we need to give people more and timely information so that they are reassured, better informed about the risks and can take precautions to protect themselves. This is what we have been trying to do through this haze episode. Since 20 June, NEA has issued the daily health advisory for the next 24 hours, the next day forecast, so that people could plan ahead. Prior to that, it was a historical measure. You see a figure of what happened. We had feedback that said "Well, that does not really help me that much. I want to know what to do ahead". So, we pushed the experts and they said, "Well, okay, we are comfortable to give a 24-hour next day forecast".

After this, again responding to ground feedback, the Inter-Ministerial Committee tasked the NEA to update their forecasts and advisories when conditions changed during the day itself. And we did it the first time when, thankfully, the PSI was much better than the peak.

In the longer run, meteorologists at MEWR are looking actively to more accurately predict the risk of haze based on hotspots and climatic conditions to provide early warning to Singaporeans. We all understand the difficulty in this; the winds and rains are fickle. But within those limits, an early warning system allows us more time to anticipate and act.

To ensure that information is disseminated quickly, MEWR has also set up a haze website. It is a one-stop authoritative source of information online. We also conducted daily technical briefings to the media.

We have also recognised through this episode that not everyone wants or needs the same amount of information. Some want as much information as possible, in other words name me all the X numbers of pollutants every hour, all the minutiae. Let me decide my life for myself. Others, on the other extreme, say "You are giving me too much. I just want to know what do. Whether I can go outdoors, do I need a mask or not?" We have tried to meet the needs of different groups and I am gratified that Singaporeans have found an improvement in obtaining information. In a recent poll by REACH, 97% said that they could find the information they needed on the haze.

Nonetheless, we aim to give more useful, timely and authoritative information to Singaporeans. That surely must be the aim for any emergency exercise. So, for the haze, we have heard the feedback. We would certainly like to tell Singaporeans more precisely their health risks based on exposure to

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specific air pollutants and how long you have been exposed; or how they can mitigate or reverse these risks. We do that in advisories against smoking where the research is much more mature. We cannot do that as confidently for air pollutants until more reliable information is available. Our health advisories are guided by the panel of experts and MOH based on the best evidence currently available. Where there is new information, we will push it out.

Mr Lien asked how we can harness the community spirit to deal with the haze. He is right. Resilience of the people must mean Singaporeans themselves taking their initiative to deal with the haze and acting with calm and purpose. Two conditions: acting on your own, with calm and purpose. I am happy to report that Singaporeans did show resilience and community spirit. Whether it is the haze this time, some mutated virus or terrorist act the next, we need to respond to national threats together, whether as Government, employers, unions, NGOs or the community.

It was heartening to see Singaporeans rallying together during the haze. Project Awareness, SG Haze Rescue, the Halogen Foundation, and several other groups and individuals took the initiative to distribute masks to senior citizens and the less privileged. Mr Lucian Teo distributed masks to residents of rental flats near his home and blogged, "I am so glad that I did this, and I write because I wish it for you, too. That we might all step out a little and find ourselves a society worth living in and contributing to." And many others did step out. There was a group of IT-savvy Singaporeans who created a crowdsourcing site to help people find N95 masks. They were thinking that the run would continue for a few days, so why not have a crowdsourcing app so that you know where to get the masks. Obviously, we stopped the run on masks but, nonetheless, they went on to produce apps to provide up-to-date, easy-to-understand information on the PSI reading. Nobody told these groups to do this, but they saw the need, and spontaneously stepped up to help.

Others deferred help to those who needed it more. Mr Teo Ser Luck shared how he met a boy who told him, "Mr Teo, you can give this mask to others who need it. I am going to stay home today." What a sensible young man. I am talking about the boy, not Mr Teo Ser Luck.

A nation's spirit and our fortitude is shaped by crises. As Jeremy Chua, the 25-year-old who started SG Haze Rescue, wrote on his Facebook page, "It has been an incredibly inspiring week for me, working with a community of Singaporeans and PRs overseas and at home to make our country a bigger, bolder and better one". He goes on, "I am humbled by the volunteers and donors who have contributed time, effort, money and whatever they could –

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they embody the new Singapore Story. In a crisis, there is no public/private divide. We are an entire community, together in this."

Members of Parliament rightly ask "Can Singapore withstand the next national threat, the next big one, one even more severe?" I believe so but only if we maintain the trust and care for one another. Trust and care between leaders and the people and for each other. Our collective response during this haze, where Singaporeans came together, trusted and cared for each other, adds to my confidence. More importantly, we should ask our Singaporeans themselves if they are confident of getting through emergencies because that is what counts.

In this haze episode, around 84% of Singaporeans polled said that they were confident that Singapore will get through the haze and that Singapore is doing its best, that the Government is doing its best to tackle the haze. These are haze-related polls conducted every day and 80% said that they were confident that Singapore would get through it and that the Government is doing its best to tackle this.

This is a good sign and the Government will work hard to maintain that confidence. Together, we will look after each other and get through all national threats to Singapore.