SINGAPORE – As Singapore entered the 12th consecutive day of unhealthy air on Oct 16, major retail landlords told The Straits Times they were taking steps to reduce haze exposure for shoppers, tenants and staff.
Lendlease, Far East Organization and CapitaLand Investment have stepped up air filter cleaning and monitoring for their air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation (ACMV) systems. To protect people indoors, they are keeping automated mall entrances shut and distributing N95 masks to employees and contractors facing prolonged outdoor exposure.
At noon on Oct 16, the hourly PM2.5 readings across the island hit the “high” range, which is above 150, while the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) in the western, central and eastern Singapore remained in the “very unhealthy” range above 200.
Singapore’s PSI has five bands – good (0-50), moderate (51-100), unhealthy (101-200), very unhealthy (201-300) and hazardous (more than 300).
A CapitaLand Investment spokesperson said management may reduce outdoor airflow at its malls – including Ion Orchard, Plaza Singapura, Tampines Mall, Junction 8, Funan and Kallang Wave Wall – by closing windows and automatic sliding doors where possible and directing shoppers to alternative entrances.
Outdoor facilities at the malls may also be closed when air quality reaches unhealthy levels, the spokesperson added.
A sign on the sliding entrance doors at Junction 8 stated they were disabled to maintain indoor air quality as pollutant levels hit the unhealthy range, directing shoppers to use the side entrances instead.
Deborah Tan, director for operations and marketing at Far East Organization’s commercial group, said mall tenants with exterior exits have also been advised to keep their entrances closed.
Far East Organization’s portfolio of malls include Orchard Central, Clarke Quay Central, Square 2 and One Holland Village.
Tenants at One Holland Village, which has a more open layout, have been advised to keep their shop doors closed where suitable, while outdoor events have been rescheduled to November.
Tan added that they are monitoring updates from the National Environment Agency (NEA) closely and will adjust their safety approach as conditions develop.
Jenny Khoo, head of retail and workspace management at Lendlease, said staff are encouraged to prioritise their well-being and discuss any concerns with their supervisors, and that flexible work arrangements “may be considered where appropriate”.
She added that under normal conditions, the malls’ ACMV air filters are already cleaned and replaced on a stringent maintenance schedule. When haze conditions worsen, management steps up active monitoring of indoor air quality and filter performance, and carries out additional replacements.
Khoo added that management has also enhanced the malls’ air quality with bi-polar ionisation systems, which release positive and negative ions to eliminate dust, odours and pathogens such as bacteria and viruses.
Retail malls in Lendlease’s portfolio include Parkway Parade, 313@somerset, Jem and PLQ Mall.
Khoo said outdoor play areas at Lendlease malls, such as Jem, may close temporarily when the 24-hour PSI reading exceeds 200.
“Lendlease takes precautionary measures guided by prevailing NEA advisories, including suspending outdoor facilities and activities,” she added.
Mapletree Pan Asia Commercial Trust, which manages VivoCity, declined to comment, although one of its entrances featured a sign stating it was closed to keep the haze out.
VivoCity’s level-three rooftop features an open, shallow wading pool, while level two has free-to-access outdoor playgrounds alongside children’s ride operator ZooMoov.
The Singapore Institute of International Affairs had in June issued a rare “red” warning in its Haze Outlook 2026 report, and said there was a high risk of severe transboundary haze affecting Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
The total cost of the two-month 2015 haze on Singapore was estimated at $1.83 billion, about 0.45% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). This was according to a 2021 paper published in the Journal of Asian Economics by Professor Euston Quah, Albert Winsemius, Chair Professor and head of economics at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Associate Professor Chia Wai Mun from NTU, and Dr Tan Tsiat Siong from the Singapore University of Social Sciences.
Their estimation covered five areas: the adverse impacts of haze on health; loss in tourism; loss in business as an indirect effect from loss of tourist receipts; productivity loss due to restricted activity days; and the cost of mitigation and adaptation by government agencies and households.
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