SINGAPORE - THE burnt smell, the foggy blanket in the air - your senses have not deceived you.

The haze is back.

The National Environment Agency Pollution Standards Index readings crossed over into the unhealthy range in the early hours in the morning. The 3-hour PSI was 102 at 1am and continued to rise through the night.

By 6am, the PSI hit 113 but fell slightly to 111 at 7am.

People with chronic lung and heart disease are advised to avoid prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical exertion.

Just last month, Singapore passed a new law to punish polluters who cause the haze.

Companies will be fined for each day that they contribute to "unhealthy" haze. Unhealthy haze is defined in the new law as air quality having a Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) value of 101 or greater for 24 hours or more.

Polluting companies may be fined up to $100,000 a day, up to a maximum of $2 million.