Sumatra Is Burning

Hazy days are here again!

Yep, hazy days. Wish it was "happy days are here again" but not so when I woke up this morning. A nice weekend marred by the noticeable burning smell of charred wood.

Sumatra is continuously burning again, it has been burning every year it seems around this time of the year. Singapore is affected with its PSI level at 80 yesterday - at moderate range; a range above 100 as unhealthy.

Did not really noticed the deteriorating air quality yesterday until I went out of my office to cross over to the Production floor in the next building.

My son was the worst affected it seems, his eyes were itching and red from rubbing. The smell of charred wood was quite strong that we decided to turn on the air-conditioning in our room to get some reprieve from the irritating and unhealthy air.

All was good, in our "self-contained panic room" watching TV until we went to sleep. The whole nasty air pollution was all forgotten.... until I woke up this morning. Argh!

Wify was feeling too cold in the wee hours this morning, so she turned off the air-condition and opened the windows. The air was quite good then even with the haze blanketing the usual view out of our bedroom window.


My nose picked-up the charred smell as fast as my eyes opened when I woke up this morning. That was how strong the smell had gotten from last night.

Outside activity is not recommended because of this, so any outing will be limited to indoor shopping malls.

Met Wify at our shop and helped her with some displays of newly arrive ladies bags.

Before that, my son and I had to take the cab to the shop to escape the haze. The journey it seemed, like the of whole Singapore was in a dreamland. A nasty dream of chocking air.

All was good at the shop with steady inflow of Customers despite the haze, most probably they had to stay indoors to get out of the haze.

The reality hit me again when we went out to have dinner. The air quality should have worsened and should be at an unhealthy range as the smell was very much stronger.


The whole Bugis area was covered with a blanket of smoke. It was depressing to see. It was bad to breathe in, but life seemed to go on with the tourists there. They were out and about outside.

Looks like we have to spend more nights in our "panic room" until the haze clears up around mid October as mentioned by the NEA's Meteorological Services.