Haze in Singapore: PSI hits 170 in central region, a new high for 2026
Daniel Lai
The Straits Times
Oct 9, 2026
The air quality in Singapore worsened on Oct 9, with the PSI reading in the central region hitting 170, the highest so far in 2026.
At 9am, the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) readings in the other parts of the island stood at 115 in the north, 150 in the south, 143 in the east, and 164 in the west.
The last highest PSI reading was 167, which was recorded in the central region on Sept 29.
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.
PSI readings across all five regions in Singapore have remained largely in the unhealthy range over the past 24 hours, with some areas dipping into the moderate range between 6pm on Oct 8 and 1am on Oct 9. Since 2am, all regional readings have returned to the unhealthy range.
At 9am, PM2.5 readings were elevated across Singapore – south (137), central (137), west (126), east (114) and north (84).
The hourly PM2.5 reading is used as a gauge for immediate air quality, with scores from 56 to 150 indicating elevated pollution levels while values of 151 to 250 represent high pollution levels.
Reduce outdoor activities
When the 24-hour PSI readings are in the unhealthy range, those who are healthy should reduce prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical activities, according to the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) haze advisory.
Vulnerable people – including the elderly, pregnant women, children and those with chronic lung or heart disease – should minimise or avoid such activities entirely.
When PM2.5 readings are high – between 151 and 250 – people should avoid strenuous outdoor activities for the next hour. Vulnerable people should avoid all outdoor activities.
These are outlined in the personal guide published on NEA’s website.
In its daily advisory on the evening of Oct 8, NEA forecast that the 24-hour PSI readings would be in the high moderate to mid-unhealthy range.
NEA said moderate to dense smoke plumes from southern and central Sumatra and West Kalimantan were observed to be drifting towards Singapore, with dry conditions expected to continue in the neighbouring Indonesian territories.
“Under the prevailing south-easterly or southerly winds, smoke haze may continue to drift towards Singapore,” it added.
Explore more on these topics
See something interesting? Contribute your story to us.
