Monday 6 October 2014

Air quality hits unhealthy range

PSI hits unhealthy range, conditions 'expected to persist': NEA

Hazy conditions were reported around Singapore on Monday afternoon (Oct 6), as the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) reading crossed into the unhealthy range. Hazy conditions are expected to persist for the rest of today, said the NEA.

The 3-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) reading crossed into the unhealthy region, hitting 125 as of 3pm on Monday (Oct 6), and the hazy conditions are expected to persist, said the National Environment Agency (NEA).

"The overall air quality is expected to be in the high end of the Moderate range," added the NEA.

"There was a significant deterioration in the air quality in most Regions of Singapore with the 1-hr concentrations of PM2.5 rising to 100μg/m3 in the Southern Region of Singapore," said the NEA on its website, adding that "the haziness was due to smoke haze from a nearby source in central Sumatra, being blown in by the prevailing southwesterly winds".

The three-hour PSI reading stayed in the moderate range in the morning, but climbed steadily to cross into the 'unhealthy' range at 1pm, with a reading of 104. Callers to the Channel NewsAsia's hotline also complained of a strong burning smell in the air.

The NEA had said in its report yesterday that that may be "occasional slight haze" on Monday, and the overall air quality was expected to be in the Moderate range.

On Sunday, the NEA said the total number of hotspots detected in Sumatra and Kalimantan was four and 63 respectively, attributing the low hotspot count was to "cloud cover and partial satellite coverage over both Sumatra and Kalimantan".

"Widespread smoke haze was visible in southern Kalimantan," the agency added.

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

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