Haze Hits Unhealthy Range In East & Central S’pore On 7 Oct, Public Should Drink More Water

Haze Expected To Remain In Unhealthy Range On 8 Oct, Public Should Reduce Outdoor Activities

On Saturday (7 Oct) morning, the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) entered the Unhealthy range in the East of Singapore.

Unfortunately, the haze situation has only gotten worse as night fell, with both the East and Central areas now in the Unhealthy range.

The public has been advised to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.

Haze at Unhealthy range in East & Central at 11pm

According to a haze update by the National Environment Agency (NEA), the East had the poorest air quality in Singapore on Saturday (7 Oct) night.

As of 11pm, the PSI was 121 in the East. Central Singapore was the second-worst affected by the haze, with a reading of 116.

Southern Singapore appeared to be heading towards Unhealthy with a PSI of 99.

In a news release on Saturday (7 Oct), the NEA said the PSI in the East entered the Unhealthy range at 7am, while the Central area followed at 11am.

Anything from 101 to 200 is considered “Unhealthy”, while 51 to 100 is “Moderate”.

188 hotspots detected in Sumatra

In another advisory on Saturday (7 Oct), the NEA said a total of 188 hotspots were detected on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island on that day, mostly over the southern and central areas.

On Friday (6 Oct), there were 211 hotspots, making Saturday’s numbers a decrease.

Prevailing winds towards the north and northwest appear to blow moderate to dense smoke haze.

Setting sun looks like egg yolk

Singaporeans duly posted photos of the hazy skies on social media, with landmarks like the Singapore Flyer slightly obscured.

As the sun set, the haze painted the sun a bright shade of orange, with several netizens saying it looked like an egg yolk.

Some photos showed the sun glowing in an almost red hue, a surreal sight that seemed out of a science fiction movie.

Public advised to drink plenty of water, reduce outdoor activities

Due to the haze situation, the NEA advised the public to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.

They also urged healthy individuals to reduce prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical activities to limit the ill effects of haze exposure.

Vulnerable people such as the elderly, pregnant, children, and those with chronic heart and lung conditions should seek medical attention if they develop symptoms or feel unwell.

Those with chronic heart and lung conditions should also ensure their medications are readily accessible.

Haze will remain in Unhealthy range on 8 Oct

Unfortunately, NEA expects the hazy conditions to persist on Sunday (8 Oct), with the PSI in the high end of the Moderate range to the low end of Unhealthy.

Singapore and the surrounding region should expect lighter winds for the next 24 hours, NEA noted.

However, towards Monday (9 Oct), some showers and a favourable change in wind direction may improve the haze situation.

Here’s hoping the hazy conditions will clear up sooner rather than later.

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Featured image adapted from MeiLin Khoo on Facebook.