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Singapore ministers clear the haze from cloud-seeding rumours

When asked if the town improvement plan was a "carrot" to entice voters, Balakrishnan disagreed.

Two Singapore ministers on Thursday refuted rumours that the government has conducted cloud seeding to clear the haze ahead of the Formula 1 race that will be held this weekend.

"Singaporeans should beware of malicious people spreading false rumours during a period when anxieties are heightened,” said Water and Environment Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

Meanwhile, Social and Family Development Minister Tan Chuan-Jin wondered, “Why do people do this just so to discredit the Government, especially when you have a real health and safety situation (haze) that is unfolding?”

Both ministers took to their respective Facebook pages to clear the air over the rumours, which Tan said have been circulating via WhatsApp, Facebook and SMS.

Despite the clarification, some remained skeptical. "Cloud seeding is done in Singapore. Two years back they did [it] in Singapore when the haze level was way too high,” said a Kalai Kathiravan Kathir on Balakrishnan’s page. The minister replied, “That was another false rumour. We did not do cloud seeding two years ago either.”

Meanwhile on Tan’s Facebook page, a Samy Rajoo said, “It’s amazing that suddenly, just as the F1 is around the corner, the sudden downpours occur. Don’t we precipitate rain in days we have major fireworks events… just wondering sir.”

Tan responded with a light-hearted reply, “Actually we don't seed. When I was organizing NDP, we were tracking the winds and clouds. Not much we can do save the usual onion and chili? Or was it garlic.”

Based on a WhatsApp message shared by Balakrishnan, the rumour said, “The government is inducing rain to lower the haze impact due to upcoming F1 races. If the haze level constantly remains high, F1 will be (affected) thus they are using rain to control.”

The rumour also said that cloud seeded rain is “chemically induced” and that readers of the rumour should keep away.

The message was signed off by a “friend working in NEA”.

Screen grab showing Vivian Balakrishnan's post about a cloud seeding rumour. 
Screen grab showing Vivian Balakrishnan's post about a cloud seeding rumour. 

NEA on Wednesday issued a clarification to say that the rumour is untrue.

"The Government has not been conducting cloud-seeding and has no plans to do so. Cloud seeding attempts to artificially induce rain by implanting clouds with suitable particles. However, there are no reliable means to validate the effectiveness of cloud seeding in Singapore," it said.

On why cloud seeding is an ineffective measure for Singapore, NEA noted, “During dry seasons, cloud seeding is less effective due to the lack of suitable clouds for seeding. The small size of Singapore and the variability of winds also mean that the induced rain, if any, may not fall directly over our island.”

Singapore has been affected by haze due to unfavourable winds blowing in smoke from Indonesia, where forest and agricultural fires have occurred.

As the air quality reached the "unhealthy" level, the government on Tuesday implemented a haze subsidy scheme to help Singaporeans who have fallen ill due to the haze.

“For the treatment of haze-related conditions, Pioneers will pay no more than $5 while other eligible Singaporeans will pay no more than $10. MOH will subsidise the remaining costs. Public Assistance (PA) cardholders enjoy fully subsidised care.  Please refer to Annex A for more details on the implementation of the haze subsidy scheme,” according to a joint statement by government agencies such as the Ministry of Health (MOH).