Air quality expected to be in moderate range

File Photo: City skyline,seen from Marina Bay Sands on 23 June 2013 was more visible.

Singaporeans can expect air quality to be in the moderate range today.

However, the authorities advised the public to take precautions based on an unhealthy range instead.

For healthy people, this means they should minimise prolonged strenuous outdoor physical exertion.

This is because fine particles called PM2.5, which are more harmful than large dust particles, are still at "elevated levels", said a Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources spokesman at a media briefing.

This is despite the three-hourly Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) ranging between 75 and 106, between 7am and 7pm yesterday, with readings mostly in the moderate range of between 51 and 100.

A reading between 101 and 200 is unhealthy.

Last week, the three-hourly PSI hit as high as 401, which is in the hazardous range. But skies cleared yesterday and last Saturday, as the PSI dipped.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said yesterday that air quality improved due to a directional change of low-level winds over Singapore, from a south-westerly to southerly direction since last Saturday night.

"We expect this to continue for the next few days," said an NEA spokesman.