NEA's Friday-Evening Advisory: Southeasterly Winds May Carry Sumatran Haze Towards Singapore
SINGAPORE — Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) said in an advisory on Friday evening, October 2, that smoke haze could continue to be transported towards Singapore under prevailing southeasterly or southerly winds. Moderate to dense smoke plumes from southern Sumatra had been observed drifting towards Singapore, the agency said, while smoke haze was also observed from fires in Kalimantan.
The day's air readings were still moderate: Singapore's 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) on October 2 ranged between 63 and 79, in the 'Moderate' band, with 1-hour PM2.5 readings between 36 and 70 micrograms per cubic metre. But the NEA cautioned that dry conditions were expected to persist over Singapore and the surrounding region on Saturday, with the 24-hour PSI forecast in the moderate to low-unhealthy range — meaning the air could worsen over the weekend.
The haze originates from continuing forest and land fires in Indonesia's Sumatra and Kalimantan. Indonesia is enduring its worst fire season in 11 years, with El Niño-driven drought making the blazes hard to control. Whether the smoke reaches Singapore turns on small shifts in wind direction: southeasterlies point the plumes from southern Sumatra straight across the strait at the city-state.
Ahead of a busy week of conferences and events, the NEA's daily haze updates — carried on haze.gov.sg, the NEA website and the myENV app — are the main reference for residents and visitors planning outdoor activity. As of Friday evening, Singapore's air had not yet entered the unhealthy range, but the official warning had already been issued.
Sources: Compiled from the NEA's October 2 evening haze advisory (as reported by Business Today on October 3) and Meteorological Service Singapore haze updates.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 烟霾笼罩的新加坡天际线（资料图），SpLoT 摄，CC BY 2.5（Wikimedia Commons）
