An official of the state weather bureau said smog that covered Metro Manila on Friday had been dispersed by the heavy downpour yesterday. Hence, air quality improved.

In a public briefing, Juanito Galang, chief of the PAGASA weather division, said the haze — technically termed "photochemical smog" — which was experienced in Metro Manila was due to air pollutants such as vehicular emissions and smoke from various industries.

While the sky remains cloudy and dark, Galang said the air was safer today than on Friday.

He said the rain that poured since dawn lessened the suspended smog in the air.

He said the smog is expected to lessen more if the rain in Metro Manila continues to pour.

Good reading

The real-time air monitoring of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources showed that the air in several parts of Metro Manila, including Caloocan, Makati, Parañaque, Pateros, San Juan and Taguig "is good," while it is fair in Mandaluyong as of 11 a.m. Saturday.

Through its Continous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring, data from the Environmental Management Bureau showed that "good" air quality was logged in parts of Metro Manila today.

For PM 10 — particles that are small enough to pass through the throat and nose and enter the lungs—Taguig, Parañaque, Makati, Pateros, Caloocan, and San Juan have a "good" air quality today. In contrast, Mandaluyong has a "fair" rate.

For PM 2.5 — particles that are so small that they can reach deeply into the respiratory tract — "good" air quality was recorded in Caloocan, Makati, Parañaque and Pateros.

Meanwhile, air quality was not recorded in other Metro cities as it was either offline or there needed to be an available monitoring system in that area.