Transboundary Haze Reaches Southern Vietnam, Singapore Central Region Turns Unhealthy

By Anas Abu Hassan

SINGAPORE, Sept 14 (Bernama) -- Transboundary smoke haze was observed over Singapore and extended as far as southern Vietnam on Monday morning, the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) said.

In its daily weather and haze situation report, ASMC said the hotspot and haze situation in the region is expected to remain elevated, with a continued risk of transboundary smoke haze. 

“The prevailing winds over the southern ASEAN region are forecast to blow mainly from the southeast, except for parts of Borneo where winds are forecast to be light and variable in direction,” it said on Monday.

ASMC continued to detect moderate to dense smoke haze in central and southern Sumatra, West and Central Kalimantan, as well as parts of Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia.

“Clusters of scattered hotspots were detected in the southern parts of Sumatra, as well as in West, Central and South Kalimantan. A few hotspots were also detected in Peninsular Malaysia and Java,” it added.

According to ASMC, air quality stations in areas affected by transboundary haze are also reporting moderate to unhealthy levels.

Meanwhile, data from Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) showed that the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) in the central region had entered the unhealthy level at 102 as of 12 pm. 

Air quality elsewhere remained moderate, with the East and West recording a PSI of 91 each, followed by the North at 79 and the South at 82.

-- BERNAMA