PSI

Now and again, there is a haze in Singapore. This is due to forest fires in neighbouring Indonesia, where farmers practise "slash and burn" agriculture. This is how they clear up land to plant plants for palm oil.

PSI stands for Pollutant Standard Index and conversation starters would be estimates of what the PSI reading is, and then checking to see who has the latest actual PSI reading which they may have heard on the radio or looked up on the internet.

Singaporeans have contacted the National Environment Agency (NEA) in Singapore to complain about the haze. Yesterday, the NEA said they will monitor the situation and "register their concerns with their Indonesian counterparts" if the situation worsened. I guess that's how things work in Singapore - just complain to the government and they will have to sort the problem out...