Smoke haze may affect Singapore till Saturday, condition expected to improve on Sunday: NEA

Air quality in Singapore improved from 3pm on Thursday (Oct 22), with islandwide 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) in the moderate range, while hourly PM2.5 were in the normal band in all five regions.

Thursday also marks the first time in 18 days that PSI readings in western Singapore returned to the good-to-moderate range.

At 7pm, PSI ranged from 71 in the northern region to 92 in western Singapore. Readings of between 0 to 100 are in the good-to-moderate range.

Meanwhile, hourly concentration readings were lowest in northern (29µg/m3) Singapore and highest (47µg/m3) in the western region.

According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), smoke haze from Kalimantan and Sumatra was still observed over the surrounding region. However, it remained to the south of Singapore due to the north-easterly and easterly winds.

"There was some smoke haze at higher altitudes above Singapore but limited mixing to surface levels," NEA said.

Members of the public should check the latest PM2.5 readings before participating in outdoor activities.

Haze condition expected to improve on Sunday

In its daily haze situation update on Thursday evening, the agency said the country's 24-hour PSI forecast is between 101 and 150 — in the unhealthy range.

Showers are also forecast over Singapore and the surrounding region, but dry conditions are expected to persist over the southern parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Under the prevailing winds, smoke haze may be transported towards Singapore on Friday.

Turning to the weekend, NEA said that some smoke haze may drift towards Singapore under south-easterly or southerly winds.

But it also added that showers over Singapore and its vicinity could help with the situation.

The haze condition is expected to improve on Sunday due to showers and favourable winds, NEA added.

新加坡的空气质量从周四（10 月 22 日）下午 3 点开始改善，全岛 24 小时污染物标准指数 (PSI) 处于中等水平，而五个地区的每小时 PM2.5 浓度均处于正常范围内。

周四也是新加坡西部地区空气污染指数（PSI）18天以来首次恢复到良好至中等水平。

晚上7点，新加坡北部地区的空气污染指数（PSI）为71，西部地区为92。读数在0到100之间属于良好到中等水平。

与此同时，新加坡北部地区的每小时浓度读数最低（29µg/m3），西部地区的每小时浓度读数最高（47µg/m3）。

据国家环境局（NEA）称，加里曼丹岛和苏门答腊岛的烟雾仍然笼罩着周边地区。然而，由于东北风和东风的影响，烟雾主要集中在新加坡南部。

“新加坡上空高空出现了一些烟雾，但混合程度有限，仅限于地面。”新加坡国家环境局表示。

公众在参加户外活动前应查看最新的PM2.5读数。

预计周日雾霾情况将有所改善。

该机构在周四晚间的每日雾霾情况更新中表示，该国 24 小时 PSI 预测值在 101 至 150 之间——处于不健康范围内。

预计新加坡及周边地区将有阵雨，但苏门答腊岛和加里曼丹岛南部地区预计将持续干燥天气。

在当前风向的影响下，烟雾可能于周五被输送到新加坡方向。

谈到周末，新加坡国家环境局表示，一些烟雾可能会在东南风或南风的作用下飘向新加坡。

但报告还补充说，新加坡及其附近地区的降雨可能有助于缓解这种情况。

国家环境局补充说，由于降雨和有利的风向，预计周日雾霾情况将有所改善。