Widespread Showers Clear Some Of The Haze In Singapore

By Tengku Noor Shamsiah Tengku Abdullah SINGAPORE, Oct 2 (Bernama) -- Widespread showers in Singapore and the surrounding region overnight somewhat cleared a little of the haze enveloping the city state, according to the National Environment Agency. While air quality has improved, visibility was still low due to high humidity after the rain but it was expected to improve gradually, the NEA said. As at 11am Friday, the 24-hour pollutant standard index was 115-149, in the unhealthy range, and the three-hour PSI was 115. NEA said the showers had brought a reduction in the extent of haze in the surrounding sea areas. However, it said, the haze still persisted in southern Sumatra. For Friday, the prevailing winds were forecast to continue blowing from the southeast or south, it said, adding that hazy conditions could still be expected. The NEA said that the 24-hr PSI for the next 12 hours was expected to drop to the low end of the unhealthy range and high end of the moderate range, but added that it might rise to the high end of the unhealthy range later in the day if denser haze was blown in from Indonesia. --BERNAMA