Name of Delegate

: Andini Karlina CH

Country

: Singapore

University

: Sriwijaya University

Delegations, we all gather here right now to give some thoughts on how our country cope with
upper respiratory tract infection that caused by the haze. The 2015 Southeast Asian haze is an air
pollution crisis affecting several countries in Southeast Asia, including Singapore. Singapore has
been affected by severe smoke haze due to forest fires in the region periodically. This is due to
the common practice of open burning to clear land for agricultural uses. It can be made worse
since it can be spread quickly due to dry seasons, changes in wind direction and poor
precipitation. Prevailing winds sometimes carry smoke haze produced by the forest fires over
Singapores skies. Among healthy individuals, short term exposure to high levels of haze
particles may cause irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat in healthy individuals. Such irritation
resolves on its own in most cases. Haze particles can affect the heart and lungs, especially in
people who already have chronic heart or lung disease e.g. asthma, chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD), or heart failure. Singapore is not affected by the haze throughout the
year. Any exposure is short-term in nature, but studies have shown that persons living overseas
with continuous exposure over several years to high ambient pollution from fine particles, may
have a higher risk of cardiovascular effects, such as heart attacks; reduced lung development, and
the development of chronic respiratory diseases, such as asthma, in children.
While the ultimate solution to the haze issue lies in collaborative efforts to reduce the burning of
forest cover, Singapore is also taking action to ensure that its population is better equipped to
deal with haze when it occurs. This includes early warning of haze, measurement and
dissemination of air quality information, and guidelines for dealing with haze related issues by
the National Environment Agency (NEA). The government postponed outdoor activities in
Singapore following the haze. They ordered the emergency closure of its primary and secondary
schools when the air pollution in the city reached hazardous levels. Even though the Singaporean
government said work will continue as normal, they are providing free masks for the elderly and
needy and all residents have been advised to stay indoors whenever possible. The Government
also named five firms (in september) as responsible for the haze and instructed them to take
measures to extinguish fires on their land, not to start new ones, and submit action plans on how
they will prevent future fires.
From what we can see, Singapore has done an incredible job to prevent any severe upper
respiratory tracts disease even though they still seems to struggling for a solution. We all know
that the first solution for this problem is by fire preventing, but we also know that those things
are easier said than done. Right now, we can only do small things by protecting the people. do
drink plenty of water to stay well hydrated. Individuals with existing chronic heart and lung
conditions should ensure that your medications are on hand and readily available. The healthcare
institutions, such as hospitals and nursing homes, should monitor patients that already being
infected closely, and ensure ample circulation of clean air indoors.