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 moderate at 5pm.
- 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 moderate range on Jan 24 with a PSI reading of 53 at 5pm.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) said on its Facebook page that the PM2.5 levels, referring to fine inhalable particles in the air measuring up to 2.5 micrometres in diameter, were “slightly elevated”.
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. The Pollutant Standards Index – which is based on the amount of six air pollutants – for the area was 58, or in the “moderate” range.
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.
Correction note: In an earlier version of the story, we said that the air quality for the eastern part of Singapore had crept into the unhealthy range at 4.45pm on Jan 24, 2026. This is incorrect. It should have been the moderate range.
