Parliamentary Question on Air Quality and Emissions Inventory - Masagos Zulkifli

6 March 2020

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Written reply by Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, to Parliamentary Question on Air Quality and Emissions Inventory, on 6 Mar 2020

Ms Anthea Ong: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) with respect to Singapore's 2020 air quality targets, how did we perform in 2019 for PM2.5, sulphur dioxide, ozone and nitrogen dioxide emissions; and (b) whether the Government will consider building and publishing emissions inventories for all pollutant types for better identification of the different sources of air pollutants and air quality management.

Answer:

1 The Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) benchmark Singapore’s air quality against the World Health Organization (WHO) Air Quality Guidelines (AQG). Singapore has adopted as its 2020 air quality targets the WHO AQG for particulate matter (PM₁₀), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), and ozone, and the WHO AQG’s Interim Targets for PM_2.5 and sulphur dioxide (SO₂).

2 Comparing Singapore’s 2019 performance with the 2020 air quality targets, we met the 2020 target for NO₂ and CO. For SO₂, while the annual target (annual mean) was met in 2019, the maximum 24-hour mean level exceeded the limit in one day of the year (recorded at 57 µg/m³). We did not meet the 2020 targets for particulate matter (PM₁₀ and PM_2.5) and ozone in 2019. A summary of Singapore’s 2019 air quality performance in 2019 against the Singapore target by 2020 and the long term targets is shown in the table below.

Table caption

Pollutant	Singapore target by 2020	Long term target	2019 Performance
Sulphur Dioxide (SO₂)	24-hour mean¹: 50 µg/m³ (WHO Interim Target) Annual mean: 15 µg/m³ (Sustainable Singapore Blueprint target)	24-hour mean¹: 20 µg/m³ (WHO Final)	24-hour mean1: 57 µg/m³ Annual mean: 8 µg/m³
Fine Particulate Matter (PM_2.5)	Annual mean: 12 µg/m³ (Sustainable Singapore Blueprint target) 24-hour mean²: 37.5 µg/m³ (WHO Interim)	Annual mean: 10 µg/m³ 24-hour mean²: 25 µg/m³ (WHO Final)	Annual mean: 16 µg/m³ 24-hour mean²: 62 µg/m³
Particulate Matter (PM₁₀)	Annual mean: 20 µg/m³ 24-hour mean²: 50 µg/m³ (WHO Final)		Annual mean: 30 µg/m³ 24-hour mean²: 90 µg/m³
Ozone	8-hour mean¹: 100 µg/m³ (WHO Final)		8-hour mean¹: 125 µg/m³
Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂)	Annual mean: 40 µg/m³ 1-hour mean¹: 200 µg/m³ (WHO Final)		Annual mean: 23 µg/m³ 1-hour mean¹: 156 µg/m³
Carbon Monoxide (CO)	8-hour mean¹: 10 mg/m³ 1-hour mean¹: 30 mg/m³ (WHO Final)		8-hour mean¹: 1.7 mg/m³ 1-hour mean¹: 2.3 mg/m³

¹ Highest; ² 99th Percentile

3 We have implemented a suite of measures to reduce the emission of pollutants. We are tightening industrial emission standards for new and existing plants from 2015 to 2023. We have also introduced measures to manage emissions from vehicles. These include stricter standards for fuel quality and tighter emissions standards for new vehicles, as well as incentive schemes to turn over older, more pollutive vehicles and encourage the purchase of new and cleaner vehicles. We will continue to review these measures.

4 NEA conducts emissions inventory and source apportionment modelling studies to identify key sources of air pollutants in Singapore and develop air quality management strategies. These internal studies help us fine-tune and improve our air quality management strategies.