Approaching Pollution Storm

Singapore is one of the cleanest cities in the world. Barely any trash lingers around in the street as people dispose of their trash into the wastebasket. Air is fresh, and Singapore is one of the few cities in the world where people can safely drink tap water. However, that cleanliness is now in danger from external threats. Areas such as Pasir Gudang, an area of Malaysia that is near Singapore, are being heavily affected by illegal dumping. Closer contact can cause pollution to spread past the Singaporean border as well. Therefore, Singaporean authorities are continuing to watch these areas carefully to stop any more despicable acts from continuing. Unfortunately, as more research and searches are being conducted, more waste is being found in new areas as well. Johor’s Sungai Masai, which empties into the Johor Strait, is also found to be the new dumping site for the illegal dumpers as well.

After the initial contact with the toxic waste at the beginning of March, thousands of people fell ill in the Pasir Gudang area and 111 schools closed temporarily for safety purposes. However, the Malaysian authorities, with the help from the Singaporean government, have managed to bring the polluted water of Pasir Gudang back to its normal state, and it is now deemed safe and clean. Nonetheless, more waste is being found in new areas of Pasir Gudang.

Singapore continues to keep a close watch over the Pasir Gudang area in case any pollution leaks into Singapore. Currently, the government has not found any signs of pollution as the air and water quality remains clean. The 24-hour Pollutant Standars Index remains in the good to low-moderate range as the 1-hour PM2.5 readings remain in Band I, normal. This shows that while there are no signs of pollution in Singapore yet, the growing pollution in Malaysia can always affect Singapore as well. So far, there is not much to worry about as the government continuously checks for any sign of pollution.