Slight hazy Sunday due to 'accumulation of particulate matter': NEA

Channel NewsAsia 4 Jun 18;

SINGAPORE: The burning smell that you might have sensed early on Sunday (Jun 3) was due to an "accumulation of particulate matter under light wind conditions".

Replying to Channel NewsAsia's queries, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said the slight hazy conditions had improved by the late morning.

Residents in Thomson, Toa Payoh and Bishan had reported the burning smell on Sunday, with some taking to social media and wondering if the haze was back.

NEA said its officers were deployed at Toa Payoh Lorong 1 and Lorong 6, where the burning smell was reported, to assess the air quality and to take air samples for laboratory analysis.

"The levels of air pollutants measured were found to be within the normal range," NEA said adding that no hotspots were detected in the nearby region.

NEA said it will continue to monitor the air quality levels.

The 24-hr PSI range on Monday at 7am was at the Moderate range at 51-100, with the 3-hr PSI at 61.

Source: CNA/mn0

Burning smell in some parts of central Singapore on Sunday not caused by haze: NEA
Ng Huiwen Straits Times 4 Jun 18;

SINGAPORE - The slightly hazy conditions spotted in a few areas in central Singapore on Sunday (June 3) was due to an accumulation of particulate matter in light wind conditions, and not an indication that the haze was back.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a statement on Monday that the conditions had improved by late morning and it did not detect any hot spots in the nearby region.

Residents in Toa Payoh, Bishan and Thomson had reported a burning smell and smoky fog on their social media platforms on Sunday.

Twitter user Jojo Angelus said that the air was "choked" with the smell of burning wood late Saturday night and early Sunday.

"Is there a forest fire somewhere?" she asked.

NEA said its officers were deployed to Toa Payoh Lorong 1 and Lorong 6 to assess the air quality and to take air samples for laboratory analysis.

"The levels of air pollutants measured were found to be within the normal range," NEA said.

The 24-hour PSI reading at 6am on Sunday was between 59 and 64, before it creeped up to be between 66 and 74 at 4pm.

NEA added that it will continue to monitor the air quality levels.

Slightly hazy conditions were similarly experienced recently on May 20, which the NEA also attributed to the accumulation of particulate matter.