Singapore air quality turns unhealthy across 4 regions as PSI climbs

Summary

• Four of Singapore’s five regions recorded unhealthy air quality on Sep 14, with the central region reaching a PSI of 136.

• The southern region entered the unhealthy range at 10 pm, after the eastern, western, and central areas had crossed the threshold.

• NEA said smoke from fires in Kalimantan and southern Sumatra was drifting towards Singapore as winds shifted east-southeast.

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s air quality worsened on Monday, Sep 14, with four of five regions reaching unhealthy PSI levels.

The southern region crossed into the unhealthy range at 10 pm, recording a 24-hour PSI of 104. The central region saw the highest reading at 136.

Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reported the developments on Sept 14, citing Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) haze advisory.

Haze pushes air quality into unhealthy range

The central region entered the unhealthy range first, reaching 102 at noon after four days of moderate readings. Its PSI later climbed to 136 by 10 pm.

The eastern and western regions crossed the threshold at 4 pm, both recording 101. Their readings later rose to 119 and 114.

The northern region stayed in the moderate range, with a PSI reading of 94 at 10 pm.

Winds carried smoke towards Singapore

NEA said a change in wind direction was helping carry smoke from Indonesia towards Singapore.

Winds shifted towards the east-southeast, bringing moderate to dense smoke plumes from fires in Kalimantan. Some haze also drifted over from southern Sumatra.

Hotspots were detected across southern Sumatra and several parts of Kalimantan. A smaller number were also found in Peninsular Malaysia and Java.

Haze had also affected parts of Sarawak, Peninsular Malaysia, and southern Vietnam, where some monitoring stations recorded air quality ranging from moderate to unhealthy.

Dry weather could keep haze around longer

NEA expects dry conditions across Singapore and nearby areas over the coming days.

The agency said winds are forecast to continue blowing from the southeast to east-southeast. The wind could keep Singapore exposed to haze from nearby fires.

The 24-hour PSI was expected to range from high-moderate to mid-unhealthy levels over the next 24 hours.

NEA has been issuing daily haze advisories since Sep 4, when central Singapore's PSI first entered the unhealthy range since 2023.

The unhealthy PSI range runs from 101 to 200. Readings from 201 to 300 are considered very unhealthy, while anything above 300 is hazardous.

For now, the safest approach is to keep an eye on the PSI, especially before spending long periods outdoors. Haze can change with the wind, so staying informed is better than guessing.

Read related: Air quality in Singapore reaches unhealthy range in central region due to transboundary haze from Indonesia fires