Singapore haze forces 2,000 people to seek treatment in a week; legal action against Indonesian firms for fire

More than 2,000 Singaporeans have visited polyclinics for treatment related to problems from the haze enveloping the city-state after the Singapore government launched a subsidy scheme last week. 

Singapore started a haze subsidy scheme last week to offer subsidised treatment for citizens with at all clinics under the Public Health Preparedness Clinic scheme. 

Singapore's Health Minister Dr Lam Pin Min said on Saturday that 2,200 people have made claims under the scheme so far, according to Channel News Asia. 

"What I gathered was there is an increase in terms of haze-related conditions being seen at the participating clinics to the extent of about maybe 10 to 20 per cent of their attendances are actually haze-related," he said while visiting clinics in the Simei area. 

Singaporeans are battling health risks from a heavy haze, with air quality reaching Hazardous levels earlier this week. 

Singapore has now initiated legal actions against five Indonesian companies that are responsible for the plantation fires that have led to dangerous levels of air pollution in the region, affecting not only Indonesia but also Singapore and Malaysia. 

Singapore was closed to shut schools once again on Friday after the haze conditions worsened, likely due to a tropical storm somewhere in the Western Pacific.

On Thursday, the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) stood at 314, much above the threshold of 300 that signals a 'hazardous' quality of air, while anything above 200 is considered 'very unhealthy'. 

While Indonesia has forced four companies to suspend their work, there are nearly 100 other companies involved in clearing plantations and farms with fires that have caused forest fires in the Sumatra and Kalimantan islands. 

Last year, Singapore passed the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act allowing it to fine any foreign entity up to $70,000 for contributing to air pollution in the city-state. 

Among the Indonesian firms served a legal notice by Singapore is Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), one of the largest paper and pulp firms in the world, AFP reported.