Burning smell update: Hotspot in southern Johor could bring slightly hazy conditions over Singapore

Photo: Nathan Oh / Unsplash
Photo: Nathan Oh / Unsplash

It’s a stench familiar to residents living in the eastern and north-eastern parts of the island over the past couple of weeks: A smoky, slightly unpleasant whiff of something burnt.

The persistent smell, according to the National Environment Agency (NEA) two weeks ago, is probably due to a fire at the Tanjong Langsat landfill in the industrial town of Pasir Gudang across the Singapore border in Johor Bahru. And that’s just the explanation for the burning smell in the north-east — residents in the eastern neighborhoods such as Tampines, Bedok and Pasir Ris faced the same smell thanks to a separate landfill fire in Bandar Tenggara, also in Johor.

Yesterday, the stench continued to linger. Between 9pm on Sunday and 11am yesterday, residents in the eastern side of Singapore lodged reports with the NEA about the burning smell. During this period, the pollution standards index (PSI) in the east were found to be in the moderate range, with the authorities assuring that those with lung or heart diseases can still continue with normal activities.

A hotspot was detected in southern Johor — about 30km east of Singapore — but the prevailing northeast winds over the island have been keeping the smog out for now. A change in the wind direction, however, could bring slightly hazy conditions to Singapore.

“We are closely monitoring the air quality, and will provide updates on the air quality situation if necessary,” said the NEA.



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