SINGAPORE: Haze shelters across Singapore sat largely empty on Saturday (Oct 17), with only a handful of residents trickling in to seek respite from the stifling combination of heat and polluted air.
When CNA visited eight designated shelters across the island in the afternoon, only two were occupied. The remaining six were either unoccupied or locked because no one was using them.
At Toa Payoh Central Community Club, just three residents were seen in the air-conditioned room.
Among them was retiree Ms Poh Suan, 67, who spent the morning keeping her flat’s windows tightly shut to keep out the haze, which left her home hot and stuffy.
Reluctant to turn on her air-conditioner, she and her husband, 64-year-old Lim Kim Chua, decided to drop by the shelter instead.
“The haze has been very bad for me, especially because I have eczema. In the air-conditioned room it feels slightly better because I am not so sweaty,” said Ms Poh, who is retired. It was her first time visiting a haze shelter.
She added that she intended to spend an hour reading in the haze shelter before heading home.
Another visitor, retiree Low Cheng Yang, said the shelter offered a welcome breather, adding that he had visited the shelter previously.
“It is very stuffy and humid outside,” said Mr Low, who is in his late 60s. “(The haze shelter) is good, at least people can hide from the heat.”