Hotspots in neighbouring Sumatra increase from 29 to 222

SINGAPORE - The number of hotspots detected in the neighbouring Indonesian island of Sumatra has increased from 29 to 222 as of today (Aug 31).

"The (earlier) low hotspot count was due to cloud cover over parts of the island," the National Environment Agency (NEA) said in its daily update.

The nearly eight-fold increase comes amidst reports of haze plaguing the region.

NEA said in a tweet at 8.50pm that moderate to dense haze was observed in wide swathes of southern and central Sumatra, which lies to the west of Singapore. Moderate haze was also visible in Riau, Jambi and South Sumatra.

However, Singapore's 3-hour PSI dropped slightly at 8pm from 63 to 59.

NEA also said in an earlier tweet that the 24-hr PSI for tomorrow is expected to remain in the moderate range, and that there may be an occasional slight haze if winds blow from the south.

grongloh@sph.com.sg