Dividend Chaser on the Haze is back in Singapore

(From Article)

SINGAPORE — Expect smoggy skies over Singapore and the burning smell to linger in the air over the next few days. 

Posting an update on the situation after Singapore yesterday experienced its haziest skies since October 2010, the National Environment Agency said the haziness and burning smell were caused by fires on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, brought over by prevailing winds blowing from the southwest or western direction.

The three-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) reading hit 88 between 3pm and 5pm yesterday — the higher end of the moderate range — before it dipped to 82 at 7pm. 

A PSI reading below 50 is classified as “good”, higher than 50 is “moderate” and anything higher than 100 is “unhealthy”.

Yesterday’s 24-hour PSI reading ranged from 59 to 65 at 4pm, which is within the moderate range. 

The 24-hour PM2.5 – which measures the concentration of fine particulate matter - ranged from 40 to 49 microgrammes per cubic metre at 4pm. 

People with heart or lung disease, as well as children and older adults, are advised to reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion when PM2.5 levels are between 41 and 65 microgrammes per cubic metre.

The NEA said yesterday that a “slight haze” had hovered over the Republic since Thursday and southwest monsoon conditions have beset the region since the beginning of this week. 

Typically lasting from June to September, the southwest monsoon season is the traditional dry season for the southern part of Southeast Asia.

With occasional extended periods of drier weather expected in the region in the coming months, the NEA said increased hotspot activities may be expected in Sumatra and Borneo, with transboundary haze affecting the region during periods of persistent dry weather.

 It added that 22 hotspots were detected over Sumatra on Thursday, down from 85 detected last Thursday due to the presence of “more cloud cover”.

The last time air quality in Singapore entered the unhealthy range was on October 21, 2010 when the PSI reading hit 106. 

The issue of transboundary haze came up in April, this year during a meeting between Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. 

Both leaders agreed to the renewal of a pact between Singapore and the provincial government in South Sumatra on sustainable farming practices, with Dr Yudhoyono saying he would encourage the governors of South Sumatra and Jambi to continue working with Singapore over the haze problem.