Netizen questions why fans are not activated during the extreme heat, raising frustrations over commuter comfort.
SINGAPORE: The scorching heat of this year has been notable, with record-breaking temperatures in various parts of the world, especially across South and Southeast Asia. In Singapore, the temperature reached 37°C last Saturday (May 13), tying the highest recorded temperature since April 1983.
It was on this particularly hot day that one Facebook user, Phua Kelly, expressed concern over the lack of fans operating at the Punggol LRT stations despite the extreme heat.
“Install all these fans for what? It’s 33°C today with a whole week of heat ahead, and not one fan is being turned on! Not just at one LRT station but all the LRT stations in Punggol! Why???” Phua wrote in a post.
She added that the temperature felt closer to 40°C and questioned whether commuters’ fares were too low to cover the cost of operating the fans. Phua included a video in her post showing the LRT platform, which clearly displayed the fans were not on.
The post was shared on both her personal account and the Complaint Singapore Facebook page, sparking reactions from other commuters who also felt the discomfort of the heat.
In response to a netizen’s suggestion that the fans might have overheated, Phua shared that she had called the platform phone, and was told, “we will see what we can do about it.” However, she noted that 10 minutes later, when she passed by again, the fans were still not turned on.
The Independent Singapore reached out to both Phua and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) for clarification. Meanwhile, the National Environment Agency (NEA) confirmed that several locations across the island recorded temperatures exceeding 36°C that day, with Ang Mo Kio recording the highest at 37.0°C.
The NEA also mentioned that rain showers were expected in the coming week, which could help bring some relief from the extreme heat.
