PUBLISHED ONNovember 03, 2026 6:49 AMBYSean LerThe relevant agencies do not see a need for 12-, 24, or 48-hourly PM2.5 forecasts as too many indicators may complicate public messages, said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu in Parliament on Tuesday (Nov 3).
She was responding to a question filed by Workers' Party MP Fadli Fawzi (Aljunied GRC), who asked why the National Environment Agency (NEA) cannot provide such forecasts, similar to what the United States National Weather Service does for smoke.
The first-term MP argued that this could help Singaporeans plan daily activities during haze situations.
Fu reiterated that providing timely and reliable information is an important part of Singapore's public health response, pointing out that NEA already provides a daily 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) to help members of the public plan activities for the next day.
The forecast takes into account the prevailing air quality, local and regional weather conditions, and the regional hotspots and haze situation assessed through satellite imagery, the sustainability and environment minister explained.
Then, there is also the hourly PM2.5, by regions, based on the latest readings from NEA's 23 air quality monitoring stations across the country.
Fu said: "Residents, schools, and employers should use the PSI forecast and corresponding health advisory to plan for next day outdoor activities, and refer to the latest one-hour PM2.5 readings when deciding on immediate outdoor activities."
She added that NEA will continue to review how its forecasting and public information services can be enhanced to provide more useful guidance, but for now, there is no need to include PM2.5 forecasts.
"The use of forecast 24-hour PSI for planning, and hourly PM2.5 for taking decisions has worked well," Fu noted.
She added: "We don't think there is a need to include 12-hour, 24-hour, or 48-hour PM2.5 forecasts, as having too many indicators may complicate our public messages."
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