Skip to main content

30 years ago, Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines rocked the planet with a series of eruptions. The eruption on 15 June 1991, the largest recorded in the past century, blew ash to Singapore which hung in the air for three weeks.

Recalling the event, Associate Professor Simon Tay, Chairman of the SIIA said, “The TV coverage of the Mount Pinatubo eruption was stark and disturbing – not only the eruption itself, but also the heavy rain and surging mudflows that destroyed so much in their path.”

As the assistant director of the Singapore International Foundation then, he sent a small team of medical volunteers to the Philippines to help. “We are glad to be safe (in Singapore), spared from hardships, but should we be inured to disasters?”

Read more about some Singaporeans’ reflections on the eruption here – https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/when-ash-from-philippines-blanketed-singapore

CommentariesMedia Coverage

The Business Times: The business of preventing haze demands more from stakeholders

Businesses have a critical role to play in preventing future haze crises, but responsibility cannot…
October 13, 20262 min
Hazy conditions seen from Clementi towards Jurong Island at about 7.20am on Oct 12. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Media Coverage

The Straits Times: Unhealthy air quality in S’pore enough to trigger haze pollution law; NEA is monitoring situation

As Singapore experiences unhealthy air quality amid the return of transboundary haze, SIIA Chairman Simon…
October 12, 20261 min
Cars head to a tollgate in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 9, 2026, a residential building in the distance obscured by thick haze from wildfires in Kalimantan and Sumatra. (AFP/Arif Kartono)
CommentariesMedia Coverage

The Jakarta Post: Fires and cross-border haze: What can still be done

As severe transboundary haze returns to Southeast Asia, SIIA Chairman Simon Tay and World Resources…
October 12, 20261 min

Website by