Public outdoor sports facilities in west closed as PM2.5 reading there reaches year’s high of 288
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- Public outdoor and non-air-conditioned sports facilities in west Singapore were closed after PM2.5 hit 288, the highest reading in 2026, and air quality turned very high.
- ActiveSG closed several west-side venues, and SAFRA Toa Payoh suspended outdoor activities and closed its swimming pool until further notice.
- NEA said smoke from fires in Kalimantan and southern Sumatra was drifting to Singapore, with PSI in the unhealthy range and N95 masks planned if levels become “very unhealthy”.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – Public outdoor and non-air-conditioned sports facilities in the west have been temporarily shuttered on the afternoon of Oct 14 as PM2.5 readings there entered the very high range.
At 3pm, the one-hour PM2.5 reading in the west was 288, the highest reading so far in 2026. PM2.5 readings were in the high band for the central (218), south (177), and east (208) areas, while the 140 reading in the north sits in the elevated range.
In a Facebook post at around 3pm, ActiveSG announced the temporary closure of its following sports centres:
Jurong East/Sport Village @ Jurong Town/Jurong Lake Gardens
Jurong West/Hockey Village @ Boon Lay
Bukit Batok/Bukit Gombak
Choa Chu Kang/Senja Cashew
Clementi
In separate Facebook posts on the same day, SAFRA clubhouses in Toa Payoh, Choa Chu Kang and Jurong said they have suspended their outdoor activities. In addition, SAFRA Toa Payoh said its swimming pool will be closed until further notice.
A closed ActiveSG sports centre in Clementi on Oct 14.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
The hourly PM2.5 readings are measured in micrograms per cubic m and used as a gauge for current air quality.
PM2.5 scores from zero to 55 represent normal values, those between 56 and 150 indicate an elevated concentration of fine particles, while those between 151 and 250 are considered high.
PM2.5 concentration is deemed very high when the reading crosses the threshold of 251.
When the readings are in that band – the highest among the four – the public should minimise all outdoor activity for the next hour, while vulnerable persons, such as the elderly and pregnant, should avoid all outdoor activity for the next hour.
Meanwhile, the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) for all regions hovered within the unhealthy range, measuring 114 in the north, 138 in the south, 154 in the east, 160 in the west and 154 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.
In its daily haze advisory in the evening of Oct 13, the National Environment Agency (NEA) forecast the PSI for Singapore to be in the Unhealthy range for the next 24 hours.
It said: “Moderate to dense smoke plumes were observed from fires in Kalimantan and southern Sumatra. Smoke haze was observed drifting towards Singapore under the prevailing south-easterly winds.”
While some showers are expected over Singapore and parts of the surrounding region, dry conditions are forecast to persist over parts of southern Sumatra and Kalimantan, NEA said.
Hazy conditions seen from Chinatown at about 1.05pm on Oct 14.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
For the first time since October 2023, air quality in Singapore breached unhealthy levels on Sept 4. The NEA started issuing daily haze advisories since the evening of that day.
The PSI reached a peak for 2026 on Oct 9, reaching 192 in the central region between 5pm and 8pm.
The haze task force announced on the evening of Oct 9 that, among other measures, it will distribute N95 masks to eligible Singaporeans when air quality hits “very unhealthy” levels.
Such levels are denoted by a PSI reading of between 201 and 300.