Hazy conditions in Singapore

Channel NewsAsia 29 Sep 11;

SINGAPORE: Many in Singapore woke up to a burnt smell and hazy skies in the air on Thursday morning.

A check with the National Environment Agency's (NEA) website showed that the three-hour PSI reading at 8am was 68, an increase of six points from an hour earlier.

This means that the air quality is in the moderate range.

NEA had said in an update two days ago that the Southwest Monsoon season lasting from June to September is the traditional dry season for the southern ASEAN region.

An escalation of hotspot activities can be expected during extended periods of dry weather.

NEA said in the past few days, scattered hotspots with slight to moderate smoke haze have been detected mainly over southern Sumatra.

With the prevailing winds blowing predominantly from the southeast or southwest, there is a likelihood that Singapore could be affected by transboundary smoke haze from Sumatra.

The impact of the smoke haze is dependent on factors such as the proximity and extent of the fires, the strength and direction of the prevailing winds and the incidence and amount of rain.

- CNA/cc