Haze in eastern Singapore likely due to hot spot in Johor: NEA
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The air quality in the eastern part of Singapore crept into the unhealthy range on Jan 24.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
- On Jan 24, 2026, eastern Singapore's air quality turned unhealthy, with PM2.5 levels reaching 162 at 4.45pm.
- The NEA reported "slightly elevated" PM2.5 levels and a faint burnt smell; a hotspot in Johor, Malaysia, was suspected.
- By 8pm, PM2.5 levels in eastern Singapore returned to "normal" at 27, with the PSI at 58 ("moderate").
AI generated
SINGAPORE – The air quality in the eastern part of Singapore crept into the unhealthy range on Jan 24, with PM2.5 levels showing a reading of 162 at about 4.45pm.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) said on its Facebook page that the PM2.5 levels
Some residents had reported a faint smell of burning.
“This is likely due to a detected hot spot and smoke plume in Johor that is near to Singapore,” NEA said on Facebook at about 8pm.
“With prevailing winds blowing from the north and north-east, some haze could have drifted over and affected air quality.”
The PM2.5 levels for the eastern part of Singapore were “normal” with a reading of 27 at 8pm, according to NEA’s website
Air quality is deemed “normal” if the PM2.5 reading is in the zero to 55 range, while a PM2.5 level of between 151 and 250 indicates a “high” level of such particles in the air.
The public can check for the latest air quality updates on the myENV mobile app.


