Wind shift eases haze for now

SINGAPORE The haze situation eased in Singapore on Sunday mainly due to a shift in prevailing winds from southwest to southeast.
But the situation can change quickly on daily shifts in wind direction.
Yesterday afternoon the 24-hr PSI in Singapore was 112 to 138, in the unhealthy range.
The National Environment Agency warned that widespread haze still covered parts of central and southern Sumatra.
Singapore Air Quality Reaches 'Hazardous' LevelsDuring late Sunday afternoon, the prevailing winds were blowing from southeast or east, but once the southwest wind reassert denser haze could return.
However, as long as the southeast to east wind blows, the haze situation will gradually improve reflected in the 24-hr PSI, NEA reported.
The 24-hr PSI for the next 12 hours is expected to be between the low and mid sections of the unhealthy range, and could drop to the high-end of the moderate range if the haze conditions continue to improve.
In Thailand the haze from Indonesia, caused by illegal forest fires and the burning of peat land, reached Songkhla province Sunday.
The haze has also troubled resort areas on the Andaman Sea coast of Thailand such as Trang, Krabi and Phuket but not the scale that has been experienced in Singapore and Malaysia.
Smog at Hazardous as Singapore Spars With Jakarta on FiresIndonesia declined Singapore’ offer to help fight the forest fires, while the Singapore government has threatened to sue the large corporations that are allegedly burning forests on Borneo and Sumatra islands.
In Thailand, there was persistent haze in Hat Yai and Betong districts according to the National News Bureau f Thailand.
The director of the Regional Environmental Office 16 in Songkhla Halem Marigan said the situation in Hat Yai was the most severe as air quality fell into a risk category, with the airborne particulate matter (PM10) value reading between 110 to 130 microgrammes per cubic meter during peak hours, with daily mean readings at 55. A healthy PM10 value should not exceed 120 microgrammes per cubic metre.
The NTB report said the haze was caused by wildfires in Sumatra, Indonesia, a word that suggests they were accidental, when in fact they are deliberate industrial acts to clear land for crops to produce pulp and paper. The culprits are some of the region’s largest conglomerates that produce packaging, tissues, and stationary.
It would be almost impossible to boycott paper or packaging products of offending corporations as they are rebranded by distributors and companies that sell to consumers.
One of the offending companies claims to have very active community and environmental programme according to its website.

sourced:traveldailynews.asia