Wet weather clears haze over Singapore

Satellite data shows drop in number of fires in Indonesia creating the smoke
Tania Tan, Straits Times 7 Mar 08;

SAY goodbye to the haze - for now.

The skies over Singapore have not only cleared, but they have also opened up, dumping 90mm of rain on parts of the island over the past week.

The wet weather that got rid of the haze - caused by slash-and-burn clearing of forests in Indonesia - is expected to stick around, said the National Environment Agency (NEA).

Moderate to heavy showers can be expected till the middle of this month, as the inter-monsoon season rolls in, said the NEA's Meteorological Service.

The rain has given Singaporeans at least a temporary respite from the smoke, which caused the air quality here to hit the moderate range last week.

The haze was sparked by smoke from forest fires in Sumatra.

The levels, though, were still a far cry from the worst haze episode in recent memory.

In October 2006, the PSI (Pollutant Standards Index) hit an unhealthy 150.

A reading of 101 to 200 can lead to sneezing, coughing or eye irritation among healthy people, and respiratory problems among those with breathing difficulties.

Last week, it hovered in the 50s. Yesterday's reading was 33.

Satellite data from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has shown a drop in Indonesian 'hot spots' - locations of fires or potential blazes.

'It has been very quiet in the past week, with a combined hot-spot count over Sumatra and Kalimantan of fewer than five every day,' said Mr Chia Aik Song, a scientist at the NUS' Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing.

Heavy cloud cover over Sumatra also suggests rainfall, which would douse any fires in the region, he added.