Improved Metro Manila air quality due to change in wind direction - DENR-EMB 

The improvement in the air quality of Metro Manila on Wednesday morning amid the haze from the forest fire in Indonesia is due to the change in wind direction, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) said.

"Base sa ASEAN specialized Meteorological Center (ASMC) 5pm Sept 1, medyo lumilihis ang dispersion sa South Western, Western and Central parts ng Philippines ang direction hangin," said Jundy del Socorro, chief of the Environmental Quality Management Division of DENR-EMB, in a message to reporters.

(Based on the ASEAN Specialized Meteorological Center (ASMC) report as of 5:00 p.m. on September 1, the wind direction is shifting the dispersion slightly away toward the South Western, Western, and Central parts of the Philippines.)

As such, Del Socorro said the smoke coming from Kalimantan is being dispersed by the wind "more towards Visayas, Mindanao."

"Mataas ngayon ang sa Talisay, Cebu and Cagayan de Oro; Medyo nag improve nang konti ang quality ng hangin sa NCR; plus uminit na ngayong umaga na nakaka dagdag sa vertical mixing ng pollutants," he added.

(Pollution levels are currently high in Talisay, Cebu, and Cagayan de Oro; the air quality in NCR (Metro Manila) has improved slightly; plus, temperatures have warmed up this morning, which helps increase the vertical mixing of pollutants.)

On Tuesday, several stations in the capital region recorded "very unhealthy" and "acutely unhealthy" air quality levels due to high concentrations of particulate matter (PM) 2.5.

But at 7 a.m. of Wednesday, at least nine stations better air quality and categorized as "fair." Later in the day at 12 noon, at least 10 stations recorded "good" air quality.

In Central Visayas, monitoring in the Talisay station showed that the air quality ranges between "acutely unhealthy" and "very unhealthy" since Tuesday.

The DENR-EMB earlier said that haze may continue to affects parts of the country until September 3. But the air quality could improve between September 4 to 6 "if rainfall remains widespread and wind patterns begin to shift." — LA, GMA News