Singapore continued to suffocate under unprecedented air pollution generated by forest fires in neighboring Indonesia, as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Thursday advised residents to stay indoors as far as possible to escape from the haze.
Lee told a news conference that the government would reimburse medical expenses incurred by Singaporeans who fell ill because of the haze. The Health Ministry would implement a special scheme for those who suffer from respiratory problems or conjunctivitis because of the haze, he said.
The City-State's government will also update the people on the haze situation and recommend protective measures for the day ahead, local media reported.
Lee warned that the haze enveloping the city could last for weeks, as air pollution soared to record levels reaching the standard index of 371 at 1:00 p.m. (local time) on Thursday.
The issue has sparked a spat between Singapore and Indonesia and environment officials from the two nations are holding an emergency meeting in Jakarta to discuss preventive measures.
Singapore's Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan demanded "definitive action" from Jakarta. "No country or corporation has the right to pollute the air at the expense of Singaporeans' health and wellbeing," he wrote in his Facebook page.
Indonesian Minister for People's Welfare Agung Laksono responded to Singapore's ire telling that it was "behaving like a child."
The smog carried by winds across the Malacca Straits forced the closure of 200 schools in Malaysia where open burning was banned in some areas, reports said.
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