Hotspot in Johor could bring 'slightly hazy' conditions to Singapore: NEA

Channel NewsAsia 25 Feb 19;

SINGAPORE: A hotspot in southern Johor could bring "slightly hazy" conditions to Singapore if the winds change, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) on Monday (Feb 25).

The hotspot was detected about 30km to the east of Singapore, NEA said.

"Prevailing winds over Singapore have been blowing from the northeast, but a change in the wind direction could bring slightly hazy conditions to Singapore," it added.

NEA was responding to Channel NewsAsia's queries about a burning smell across Singapore.

Over the weekend, residents reported a smoky or hazy smell in areas such as Bedok, Pasir Ris, Woodlands, Choa Chu Kang, Bukit Panjang, Sengkang, Bishan and Thomson.

On Monday, NEA said it received feedback on a burning smell in the eastern part of Singapore between 9pm on Sunday and 11am on Monday.

During this period, the pollution standards index (PSI) in the east was 52 to 55, which is in the moderate range. The one-hour PM2.5 readings were in the normal range, said the agency.

"We are closely monitoring the air quality," said NEA.

"Members of the public, including the elderly, children and those with lung/heart diseases, can continue with normal activities."

The latest reports come about three weeks after residents in the eastern part of Singapore complained in early February about a smoky smell in the air. NEA attributed that incident to a fire at a landfill at Bandar Tenggara in Johor.

In a separate incident in mid-February, NEA said reports of a burning smell detected in the northeast of Singapore were likely related to a separate fire at Tanjong Langsat landfill in Pasir Gudang.

Source: CNA/aa(gs)


Burning smell in eastern part of Singapore likely caused by fire in southern Johor: NEA
Choo Yun Ting Straits Times 25 Feb 19;

SINGAPORE - A burning smell reported in parts of Singapore recently is likely due to a fire in southern Johor, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said.

The agency told The Straits Times on Monday (Feb 25) that it received feedback on a burning smell in the eastern part of Singapore between 9pm on Sunday (Feb 24) and 11am on Monday.

"A hot spot has been detected in southern Johor about 30km to the east of Singapore," NEA said. The agency has not been able to ascertain the exact source of the fire due to the cloudy weather.

It added that prevailing winds over Singapore have been blowing from the north-east, but a change in the wind direction could bring slightly hazy conditions to the Republic.

Netizens have been complaining about the burning smell on social media, with threads on discussion forum Reddit highlighting the smell in both the eastern and western parts of the island.

NEA said that it received feedback on the burning smell only in the eastern part of Singapore during this latest episode.

Reddit user Awedrck said late Sunday night that he noticed the burning smell in Siglap, and it was causing his throat to hurt.

Several users on the site also complained that the smell made it hard for them to sleep.

Several netizens living in Ang Mo Kio (pictured), Yishun, Sengkang and Hougang had reported a "smoky" or "smoggy" smell on social media.

On Sunday night, Facebook user Brandon Lee said that there was "a very strong burning smell in the air" around Woodlands. He started noticing the smell around 8pm, he added.

The Pollution Standards Index (PSI) in the east between 9pm on Sunday and 11am on Monday ranged from 52 to 55, putting it in the "moderate" range, which is from 51 to 100.

The one-hour PM2.5 readings in the east ranged from 7 to 30 micrograms per cubic metre, which is in the "normal" range. PM2.5 is the dominant pollutant during haze episodes.

NEA said on Monday that members of the public, including the elderly, children and those with lung or heart diseases, can continue with their normal activities.

"We are closely monitoring the air quality, and will provide updates on further findings or significant changes to the air quality situation if necessary," the agency said.

Singaporeans have been complaining about burning smells in the last month.

On Feb 8, a strong burning smell was reported in several parts of eastern Singapore, due to a fire at a landfill in Bandar Tenggara in south-eastern Johor.

Another fire in Johor, this time at the Tanjong Langsat landfill in Pasir Gudang, was the likely cause of a burning smell in north-east Singapore in mid-February.