SINGAPORE – Erecting more sheltered walkways and drop-off points, developing microforests, and increasing outreach to seniors and lower-income households are among the plans that some MPs here have to help their constituents cope with rising temperatures.
Sembawang West MP Poh Li San said more sheltered walkways and drop-off points are in the works for her constituency, since older estates like hers are more exposed to the elements compared with newer developments.
She added that her constituency was also exploring the idea of microforests, which are small dense patches of greenery planted in urban areas. These can help to lower ambient temperatures.
“Over time, as we have experienced (the effects of climate change) in the last 10 years, I think we have to intensify some of these efforts to create a more protective environment for our residents,” Ms Poh said.
She was among six MPs responding to queries from The Straits Times on grassroots efforts to protect people here from rising temperatures.
Climate change is nudging up global temperatures, with eight of the 10 hottest years in Singapore happening since 2002. In 2025, the yearly average temperature was 28.1 deg C, making it the eighth-hottest year on record.
Moreover, Singapore has over the past week been grappling with drier than usual weather, which has resulted in higher temperatures. The Meteorological Service Singapore had earlier forecast that the daily maximum temperatures during the second half of March were likely to range between 34 deg C and 35 deg C on most days.
Meteorologist Koh Tieh Yong, who is also a member of the Working Group for Asian-Australian Monsoons at the World Climate Research Programme, told ST on March 24 that equatorial South-east Asia was experiencing the dry phase of the Madden-Julian oscillation – a natural cycle in the equatorial region that switches between cloudy, rainy weather and clear, dry sky.
“When the sky has less clouds, sunlight reaches the ground directly and heats up the surface; moreover, there is less cooling relief from rainfall,” he said.
Warmer weather could be on the cards. Scientists have forecast an impending El Nino to hit Singapore in the second half of 2026. The climate phenomenon also causes drier, hotter weather here.
For other MPs, reaching out to vulnerable members of their constituencies, such as the elderly or lower-income groups living in rental flats, is a priority.
Sengkang GRC MP He Ting Ru said her constituency is considering procuring electric fans for vulnerable households, and developing ideas to raise awareness about extreme heat events. Sengkang Town Council has started using heat-reflective paint for its residential blocks, she added.
Ms He pointed to an initiative to promote community heat resilience awareness that was held during the inaugural Sengkang Sustainability Bazaar in December 2025, and added that she hoped to have more collaborations with the community in the future.
Mr Shawn Huang, an MP for West Coast-Jurong West GRC, said his team would be ramping up house visits to rental blocks to ensure that the units there have sufficient cooling measures such as fans.
