Air quality in Singapore still unhealthy as haze persists 

SINGAPORE – The air quality across the island remained largely unchanged early on Oct 12, with the 24-hour PSI continuing to lie in the unhealthy range.

At 7am on Oct 12, the PSI readings stood at 105 in the north, 118 in the south, 135 in the east, 147 in the west and 147 in the central region.

Air quality is considered unhealthy when the PSI – a 24-hour rolling average of six key air pollutants – is in the range of 101 to 200.

At 7am, one-hour PM2.5 readings ranged from 55 (normal) to 105 (elevated). The north and the south each registered normal readings of 55, while the readings in the other three regions were elevated: 105 in the west, 84 in the central region and 67 in the east.

The hourly PM2.5 reading – measured in micrograms per cubic m – is used as a gauge for current air quality, with scores from 0 to 55 representing normal values, while 56 to 150 indicate elevated pollution levels.

In its daily advisory issued in the evening on Oct 11, the National Environment Agency (NEA) forecast that the 24-hour PSI would be in the unhealthy range. 

“Smoke haze from southern Sumatra and West Kalimantan was observed to drift towards Singapore,” it noted. 

It added that showers are forecast over Singapore and parts of the surrounding region.

However, dry conditions are expected to continue over parts of southern Sumatra and Kalimantan.

“Under the prevailing south-easterly or southerly winds, smoke haze may continue to drift towards Singapore,” NEA added. 

The PSI reached a peak for 2026 on Oct 9, reaching 192 in the central region between 5pm and 8pm.

The highest hourly PM2.5 reading to date in 2026 – 171 – was recorded in the west on Oct 9.

The government’s haze task force announced a series of measures on Oct 9 should the PSI exceed 200 and move into the very unhealthy range.

Air quality in Singapore breached unhealthy levels for the first time since October 2023 on Sept 4, 2026.