SINGAPORE — The likelihood of haze affecting Singapore on Tuesday (Oct 10) is low as rain in the region is expected to improve the hotspot situation in Indonesia.

Wetter conditions were observed over many parts of the surrounding region on Monday, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) in its daily haze advisory. 

"Due to thick cloud cover, hotspots and smoke plumes could not be detected over Sumatra from satellite imagery today," it added.

“While the prevailing winds are expected to blow mainly from the south or southwest tomorrow, showers in the region will help to improve the hotspot and haze situation in Sumatra. The likelihood of transboundary haze affecting Singapore is thus low.”

There were also thundery showers over many areas in Singapore on Monday afternoon. 

As of 9pm, the 1-hour PM2.5 concentration readings were in the normal range, while the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) was 56 to 73 in the moderate range. 

The PSI for the next 24 hours is forecast to be in the moderate range as well, said NEA.

Air quality readings and advisories can be found on www.haze.gov.sg and the myENV app.

NEA started sending daily haze advisories on Saturday when the air quality entered the unhealthy range for the first time since 2019.

The haze task force, involving 28 agencies, also convened and rolled out their respective action plans.

DO YOU NEED A MASK?

According to the interagency haze task force, N95 masks are not required for short exposure to haze such as when commuting from home to school or work. 

"In general, a healthy individual who has to be outdoors for several hours may wear an N95 mask to reduce exposure when the forecasted air quality is in the hazardous range (PSI > 300)," the task force said in a media release on Saturday.

Vulnerable people can wear an N95 mask if they have to be outdoors for several hours when the 24-hour PSI is above 200. CNA