Haze to persist over weekend, likely to clear by end of next
week
By Pearl Forss, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 20 October 2006 2031
hrs
SINGAPORE: The haze situation is not likely to improve over the
next few days as winds continue to blow smoke haze into
Singapore.
But the National Environment Agency says this should improve
significantly by the end of next week.
Hazy conditions in Singapore continued today as the prevailing
southeasterly winds blew smoke haze from West and Central
Kalimantan to Singapore and southern parts of Peninsular
Malaysia.
Hotspots with moderate to dense smoke haze also continued to be
observed in southern parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan.
And the haze situation is likely to continue tomorrow and over the
next few days as the monsoon is arriving later this year due to a
weak El Nino effect.
More showers are expected in the region in the next few days as the
monsoon arrives.
This will likely douse the fire in Indonesia and bring better air
quality by the end of next week.
Wind directions are also shifting over the next few days.
Lam Keng Gaik, Chief Meteorological Officer of the National
Environment Agency, says: "We also expect the wind system to change
gradually to east, that means blowing from the east and from the
northeast direction."
"That wind will actually bring air from the South China Sea rather
than from the source region, and that will help to improve the air
quality in Singapore," he says.
The early showers on Friday morning were not heavy enough to soothe
the PSI level, which remained at 90 to 100, before dipping in the
evening. - CNA/so
