Channel NewsAsia 21 Jul 13;
SINGAPORE: The National Environment Agency (NEA) said hazy conditions may return to Singapore in the coming days.
That may happen if dry weather persists in most parts of Sumatra and wind direction changes to blow from the west in the next two days
In a statement issued on Sunday morning, NEA said the number of hotspots in Sumatra, as tracked by the NOAA 18 satellite, has gone up sharply in the last two days to reach 159 on Saturday.
Of these hotspots, 63 are found to be in Riau province in central Sumatra, which is about 280 kilometres from Singapore.
Some localised smoke plumes are observed rising from the hotspots.
The other hotspots on the island are mainly further north in Aceh and North Sumatra.
NEA said as the winds are currently from the southeast or south, the smoke haze is not being blown towards Singapore at this time.
However, some states in Peninsular Malaysia have been experiencing a worsening in their air quality since late Saturday morning.
The highest Air Pollutant Index reading at 5am on Sunday was 98 in Bukit Rambai, Malacca.
NEA said over the next two days, dry weather conditions are expected to persist in most parts of Sumatra.
The agency says it will provide further haze alerts to the public if the dry weather persists and the wind direction changes.
- CNA/fa
Return of haze, hotspots detected in Indonesia
The Star 21 Jul 13;
MALACCA: Bukit Rambai here recorded an unhealthy Air Pollution Index (API) reading of 105 at noon Sunday signalling a possible return to hazy conditions.
According to the Department of Environment (DoE) website, the API reading at 8am was 102.
However, the API reading were 103 and 105 at 10am and 11am respectively.
Melaka City registered moderate API readings of 77 at 8am, 78 (9am), 79 (10am), 79 (11am) and 80 at 12 noon.
API readings between 0 to 50 is considered good, 51 to 100 (moderate), 101 to 200 (unhealthy), 201 to 300 (very unhealthy) and above 300 hazardous.
The number of hotspots in Sumatra has spiked sharply from zero to 159 in a mere four days, causing the haze to return to Peninsular Malaysia.
After weeks of clear skies, unhealthy air quality has been recorded in Bukit Rambai, Malacca, where residents and tourists have already taken to donning masks on their faces.
In Singapore, the National Environment Agency (NEA) says Singapore may experience hazy conditions in the coming days.
Over the next two days, dry weather conditions were expected to persist in most parts of Sumatra.
"Should there be a change in the wind direction from the west, Singapore may experience hazy conditions," the agency said.
The NEA will provide further haze alerts to the public if these events become more likely.
It said the number of hotspots in Sumatra as tracked by the NOAA 18 satellite had gone up sharply in the last two days to reach 159 on Saturday.
"Of these hotspots, 63 are detected in the Riau province in central Sumatra, which is about 280 km from Singapore.
"Some localised smoke plumes are observed to emanate from the hotspots.
"The other hotspots on the island are primarily further north, in Acheh and North Sumatra.
"As the winds are currently from the southeast or south, the smoke haze is not being blown towards Singapore at this time," the NEA said.
It also noted that some states in Peninsular Malaysia have been experiencing a deterioration in their air quality since Saturday afternoon, with the highest Air Pollutant Index reading at 5am Sunday being 98 in Bukit Rambai, Malacca.
As at noon in Singapore, the three-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) was at 20, while the 24-hour PSI was between 19 and 33. - Bernama
