Haze conditions in Singapore ease: NEA

Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) on Thursday said haze conditions have further eased with the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) readings in a downward trend, as the prevailing winds continued to blow from the southeast.

The authority said that the prevailing southeasterly winds are forecast to be maintained and occasional slightly hazy conditions are expected.

NEA also pointed out that it has been aware that SMS rumor suggesting the government is conducting cloud-seeding to mitigate the impact of haze on Formula 1 were circulating online. NEA stressed that the claims, saying the resultant rain from cloud- seeding is harmful, were untrue.

Singapore government has not been conducting cloud-seeding and has no plans to do so, said NEA in the post on the website. The agency added that cloud seeding is less effective due to the lack of suitable clouds for seeding during dry season. The small size of Singapore and the variability of winds also mean that the induced rain, if any, may not fall directly over the island.

Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, also updated his Facebook to debunk the rumor, saying " Singaporeans should beware of malicious people spreading false rumors during a period when anxieties are heightened."

As air quality in Singapore remained in unhealthy range in the past a few days, an initiative, which distributes haze packages containing items like eyedrops and canned food to vulnerable households, was launched by Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Wednesday. Endi