Slight haze descends over parts of Singapore

Cheryl Lim, Channel NewsAsia 30 Sep 09;

SINGAPORE: A slight haze has returned to Singapore. Several people called the MediaCorp hotline about hazy conditions islandwide with some saying they were experiencing visibility of up to 3 kilometres.

According to the National Environment Agency, the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index at 4pm stood at 53 which is in the moderate range.

The NEA said dry weather conditions in the southern part of Sumatra have caused persistent fires last week.

The latest satellite picture showed 20 hotspots in the province of South Sumatra.

The low hotspot count was due to partial satellite coverage over South Sumatra.

It said winds have brought some smoke haze from the fires to Singapore and that there will be brief periods of slightly hazy conditions here for the next two days.

A PSI reading of between 1 and 50 means ambient air quality is still good while a reading of 51-100 means the level of air pollutants in the air is in the moderate range.

Mid-September saw PSI readings hitting a high of 64.

For more air quality updates, you can visit the NEA website. - CNA/vm