Haze watch Oct 16: Central Singapore's PSI hits very unhealthy reading of 224

The 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) in central Singapore is currently in the very unhealthy range, reaching 224 at 7am on Friday (Oct 16).

The reading first crossed into the very unhealthy band shortly after midnight and continued to climb through the morning. Elsewhere, 24-hour PSI readings in the eastern and western regions stood at 195, placing them in the unhealthy range.

One-hour PM2.5 is in the elevated band across Singapore. The highest concentration reading of 149µg/m3 was recorded in the central region. 

In its daily haze situation update on Thursday evening, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said the country’s 24-hour PSI is expected to be in the unhealthy to low-end very unhealthy range, even though showers are expected over Singapore and the surrounding region.

This is because southern Sumatra and parts of Kalimantan are likely to remain dry.

"With the winds forecast to be east-southeasterly or south-easterly, smoke haze is likely to continue to be carried from Kalimantan towards Singapore," NEA explained.

As of 6.30am, outdoor and non-aircon ActiveSG facilities in the eastern and central regions are closed as a precautionary measure due to the haze situation. 

The latest list of facilities temporarily closed due to the haze can be found on the ActiveSG Circle website. 

Singaporeans who are collecting their N95 masks can use the HazeMaskGoWhere website for more information on the eligibility criteria, collection locations and live updates on mask availability at the vending machines.

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