Haze in Singapore: PSI in western part of island remains ‘very unhealthy’ overnight

Singapore's western region continued to grapple with hazy conditions overnight, as pollutant levels remained in the "very unhealthy" range. At 6am, the 24-hour PSI in the west reached 206, peaking between 1am and 3am at 207. The rest of the island faced "unhealthy" air quality, with PSI readings of 185 in the central region, 171 in the east, 157 in the south, and 125 in the north. PSI is deemed unhealthy when it falls between 101 and 200, and very unhealthy between 201 and 300.

The hourly PM2.5 readings, a gauge for current air quality, were elevated across most parts of the island at 6am. Central, eastern, and western regions recorded PM2.5 levels of 89, 86, and 83 micrograms per cubic meter, respectively. Only the north saw normal readings at 52. By 3pm on Oct 14, PM2.5 in the western region surged to the very high range of 288, the highest reading since 2026.

In response to the deteriorating haze situation, the Singapore Government began distributing masks, as per a statement from the National Environment Agency (NEA) on Oct 14. Air-conditioned rooms in over 300 community clubs, as well as residents' committee and network centres, were converted into haze shelters for public refuge. The public could reach out to their nearest community clubs for shelter hours and locations.

Smoke haze originating from fires in Kalimantan was detected drifting towards Singapore, with similar haze observed over Sumatra. The NEA forecast that the dense smoke haze would persist and continue drifting towards Singapore overnight and the following day. Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, Grace Fu, reiterated that Singapore was "keeping its options open" regarding potential actions against responsible companies under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act.