SINGAPORE: Air quality in Singapore remained at unhealthy levels on Thursday (Sep 19).
The 24-hour Pollutant Standard Index (PSI) readings went up to 154 in the south early Thursday before dropping slightly as morning broke.
As of 8am, the PSI readings were:
- 124 in the north
- 134 in the east
- 144 in the south
- 130 in the west
- 123 in the central region
According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), PSI readings of 50 and below denote “good” air quality, “moderate” for 51-100 and “unhealthy” for 101-200.
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The one-hour PM2.5 reading was 24-39µg/m3 at 8am, in the normal band which ranges from 0-55µg/m3.
PM2.5 is a measure of tiny particles less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter in the air. When the PM2.5 reading is in the elevated range, haze particles can affect the heart and lungs, especially in people who have chronic heart or lung conditions.
According to NEA, one-hour PM2.5 readings are a “good indicator of current air quality”, and can be used for those deciding whether to go for immediate outdoor activities, such as a jog.
This follows a day of unhealthy readings on Wednesday, when PSI levels ranged from 90 to 149 across the day.
On Wednesday evening, the environment agency said PSI readings are expected to be in the high end of the moderate range and the low-end of the unhealthy range for the next 24 hours.
This could enter the mid-section of the unhealthy range if denser haze from Sumatra is blown in, it added.
The one-hour PM2.5 readings for this period are expected to range between normal and elevated.
“Given the air quality forecast for the next 24 hours, healthy persons should reduce prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical exertion,” said NEA.
“The elderly, pregnant women and children should minimise prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical exertion, while those with chronic lung or heart disease should avoid prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical exertion.”
A total of 238 hotspots were detected in Sumatra on Wednesday, up from 109 on Tuesday.
There is still moderate to dense smoke haze in Indonesia’s central and southern provinces of Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra and Lampung, said NEA.
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The haze has also affected neighbouring Malaysia, with air quality in 10 areas falling within the “very unhealthy” range on Wednesday.
Nearly 2,500 schools across the country were closed on Thursday, affecting 1.7 million students, Malaysia’s education ministry said.
The haze originated from peat and forest fires in Indonesia, where many still practise the slash-and-burn agricultural methods.
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