Haze in Singapore: PSI in unhealthy range for much of the island
Air pollution remains at moderate levels only for the north and south.
Singapore's west, central and east regions were grappling with unhealthy levels of pollutants in the air on October 7, according to the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI). At 6am, the PSI readings in these areas were 115, 129 and 118 respectively, indicating an unhealthy environment for outdoor activities. The PSI, which measures a 24-hour average of six key pollutants, is considered unhealthy when it falls between 101 and 200.
Fine particle levels, known as PM2.5, were also elevated in the same regions - 86 in the west, 68 in the central region and 56 in the east. However, the PSI remained moderate in the north (99) and south (97) regions, with PM2.5 readings also staying within normal limits. The PSI for the east, central and west regions had been in the unhealthy range for over 24 hours at 6am on October 7.
The National Environment Agency had predicted that the PSI would remain in the "high moderate to mid unhealthy" range due to prevailing winds. Dry conditions were expected to persist in neighboring Indonesia, where smoke plumes were drifting towards Singapore. The PSI crossed into the unhealthy range four weeks ago on September 4, with the highest reading of the year - 164 in central Singapore - recorded on September 29.
This is the first time since October 2023 that the PSI in Singapore has reached unhealthy levels due to haze.
Written by urgent.news from Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 1 other outlet
- Air quality in parts of Singapore in unhealthy range channelnewsasia.com
