Channel NewsAsia 29 Aug 16;
SINGAPORE: Air quality in Singapore is expected to remain in the normal range for the next 24 hours, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a press release on Monday. This follows an improvement in haze conditions earlier in the day, as prevailing winds strengthened to blow from the south, and parts of the island saw showers in the late morning and afternoon, NEA said.
NEA said showers over parts of central Sumatra today have helped to reduce the extent of the haze there. Some haze was still observed over the Strait of Malacca, NEA said. Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency said separately on Monday that there were 138 hotspots across Indonesia, with 85 of them in Riau province in central Sumatra.
As of 5pm on Monday, the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) was 65-95, in the Moderate range, and the 1-hour PM2.5 was 12-19 µg/m3, in Band I (Normal), NEA reported.
"For the rest of today and tomorrow, the prevailing winds are forecast to blow from the southeast or south. Thundery showers are expected in the morning for Singapore," NEA said in the statement.
Over the next 24 hours, the 1-hr PM2.5 concentration is expected to stay in Band I (Normal) and the 24-hour PSI is forecast to remain in the Moderate range, it added.
Air quality took a turn for the worse on Friday and over the weekend, with the 24-hour PSI in the Unhealthy range.
- CNA/mz
