4-9-2023 (SINGAPORE) Singapore faces a potential risk of hazy conditions as a result of increased hotspot activity in Sumatra, Indonesia in recent days. The National Environment Agency (NEA) has detected a rising number of hotspots in the region, particularly concentrated in southern Sumatra.
On Sunday (Sep 3), 23 hotspots were identified, following 28 hotspots the previous day, as disclosed in an NEA Facebook post. The prevailing weather forecast suggests that dry conditions will persist over southern and central Sumatra in the upcoming week. This situation could exacerbate the hotspot activity and potentially lead to hazy conditions in Singapore, NEA cautioned.
Despite the heightened hotspot activity, NEA noted that the smoke plumes are currently situated at a distance from Singapore and are not observed to be drifting directly towards the city-state due to prevailing winds blowing from the southeast.
As of 4 pm, the 24-hour pollutant standards index (PSI) in Singapore ranged from good to moderate, with readings between 45 and 76.
NEA emphasized that it is closely monitoring the evolving situation. The recurring issue of haze in Southeast Asia, primarily caused by forest fires in Indonesia, has been a persistent concern for the region over the past several decades.
