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Businesses spending more to cope with Singapore’s sweltering heat

At one building contractor, more mineral water bottles and fruit packets are being given out to help workers stay hydrated.

Businesses spending more to cope with Singapore’s sweltering heat

A woman shielding herself from the sun with an umbrella. (File photo: CNA/Calvin Oh)

SINGAPORE: Businesses are forking out more money to keep their workers hydrated amid the scorching heat. 

This includes preparing more mineral water bottles and fruit packets for workers. 

The mercury rose above 36 degrees Celsius in the first half of April, with the warm weather in the first fortnight expected to continue for the rest of the month, the Meteorological Service Singapore (Met Service) said on Apr 17. 

The daily maximum temperature was above 34 degrees Celsius on most days in the first half of the month, with four days registering temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius or higher, said the Met Service.

The rising temperatures are taking their toll on Singapore businesses.

TAKING EXTRA STEPS TO KEEP COOL

Workers at various construction worksites, some with eleven-hour shifts outdoors daily, are trying various ways to cope with the heat.

The recent hot spell means taking extra precautions to keep cool, such as having more time to rest amid tight deadlines, companies told CNA.

At building contractor LBD Engineering, more mineral water bottles and fruit packets are being given out to help workers stay hydrated.

Measures such as taking more water breaks will also continue, as long as the oppressive heat persists.

“We do feel a need to take care of their health, because once a worker is down with illness or the worker is on medication or on (medical leave), then definitely it will affect the workers' strength and it will affect our pace,” said LBD Engineering chief strategy officer Lim Boon Huat. 

“So we do take note of the situation, to try our best to mitigate the heat.”

The remainder of April is expected to be warm, and temperatures may hit 34 degrees Celsius in the afternoon on most days. 

On some days when there is less cloud cover, the daily maximum temperature could reach a high of around 35 degrees Celsius, said the Met Service.

POORER YIELDS FOR SOME FARMS

Meanwhile, one rooftop farm in Tampines is using up to 7,000 litres more water in a bid to prevent the soil from drying up too quickly.

Nature’s International Commodity, which specialises in the design and operations of sustainable and modular farms within the community, said about three tonnes of 50 types of vegetables are produced each month, and residents can pay a fee to get a share of the harvest.

Mr Nicholas Goh, founder of Nature’s International Commodity, told CNA that the soaring temperatures mean poorer yields. Some vegetables are not growing typically, losing 10 per cent of mass on average.

To try to cool things down further, his company has put up nets and grown climbing crops to shield other plants from the sun.

“We are surrounded by concrete and this concrete is also absorbing the heat. And this then reflects back to the system that we use and (with) all these environmental challenges, it does affect the vegetables because it actually brings up the overall temperature in the surroundings,” said Mr Goh. 

“And by having to mitigate all these problems, we do have to increase our resources, which also ends up (increasing) our costs.”

Source: CNA/ca(fk)

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