NEA Says That Slight Haze and Burning Smell On Tues (2 Mar) Morning Are From Hotspot in JB

Those early morning memories in Singapore—waking up to a dark sky, sleepily putting on your school uniform or drinking a cup of milo.

Ever-present, the noisy koel bird acts as the background music to the start of everyone’s day.

But you sniff the air and it’s something… foul? Something you don’t recognise at this time of year.

Oh no, you think.

The haze is back.

Slightly Hazy Conditions

The National Environment Agency (NEA) reported that certain parts of Singapore experienced slightly hazy conditions with a burning smell early Tuesday morning (2 Mar).

According to their Facebook post, a hotspot with a smoke plume was detected in Johor on Monday afternoon (1 Mar). Due to northeastern winds, the plume was blown towards Singapore.

The agency notes, “The prevailing winds over Singapore are expected to continue blowing from north to northeast for the next few days. Slightly hazy conditions with burning smell may still be expected over parts of Singapore today.”

Oh no.

Last Saturday, many were also worried about the haze as the 24-hour PSI reading went above the 100 mark. But thankfully, it was later confirmed to have been due to higher levels of ozone rather than haze.

NEA Advisory

The 1-hr PM2.5 concentration readings entered Band 2 (Elevated) between 6:00 and 7:00am in the East of Singapore this morning before returning to Band 1 (Normal) at 8am.

When conditions reach Band 2, NEA recommends that the public reduce any strenuous outdoor activity.

At 11:00am today, the 24-hour PSI was in the Moderate range, from 64-71. Hence, all normal activities can be carried out.

Do check the infographic below:

NEA has stated that they will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates when necessary.

Feature Image: JPL Designs / Shutterstock.com