Haze in Singapore: PSI enters unhealthy range across island, with the west recording 124 at 8am

SINGAPORE - The air quality in Singapore worsened on Sunday (Sept 15) morning as Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) readings crossed the unhealthy level in all parts of the island.

The 24-hour PSI reading for the north, south, east, central and west entered the unhealthy range at 1am.

At 8am, the 24-hour PSI readings ranged between 107 in the east and 124 in western Singapore. At 9am, the reading was between 107 and 123.

A PSI reading of 101 to 200 is in the unhealthy range, for which the National Environment Agency (NEA) advises the public to cut down on outdoor activities.

[[nid:461546]]

Meanwhile, PM2.5 concentration readings, which NEA says are a better indication of current air quality, were at normal levels in all parts of Singapore.

The one-hour PM2.5 reading ranged between 26 microgram per cubic metre  in the east and 37 at 8am, with the highest reading recorded in the central part of the island. At 9am, it ranged between 10 and 33.

There are four bands on the PM2.5 concentration scale: 0 to 55 for normal, 56 to 150 for elevated, 151 to 250 for high, and very high for readings above 250.

NEA said the deteriorating air quality is due to winds blowing more smoke haze from Sumatra, which is south of Singapore.

More than 300,000ha of land in Indonesia have been ravaged by fire from January to last month.

For the next few days, dry weather can be expected in Singapore and over central and southern Sumatra, and the NEA warned that the PSI may enter the mid-section of the unhealthy range if denser haze is blown in.

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli said in a Facebook post on Saturday evening that Singapore is ready to help "suppress fires on the ground".

He wrote: "Singapore has offered technical firefighting assistance to Indonesia and is prepared to deploy them if requested by Indonesia."

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/masagos/posts/1271753259652355?__tn__=-R[/embed]

Despite the haze, some outdoor activities continued as planned on Sunday.

Organisers of the Yellow Ribbon Prison Run, which is scheduled from 6am to 1pm, said on the event's website and Facebook page that the run will still take place.

Likewise, POSB bank said on Facebook that it will proceed with events in the POSB PAssion Run for Kids.

Both organisers said that the events will still be held as PM2.5 readings were in the normal range. 

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.