SINGAPORE – The air quality in the eastern part of Singapore crept into the unhealthy range on Jan 24, with PM2.5 levels showing a reading of 162 at about 4.45pm.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) said on its Facebook page that the
PM2.5 levels
, referring to fine inhalable particles in the air measuring up to 2.5 micrometres in diameter, were “slightly elevated”.
Some residents had reported a faint smell of burning.
“This is likely due to a detected hot spot and smoke plume in Johor that is near to Singapore,” NEA said on Facebook at about 8pm.
“With prevailing winds blowing from the north and north-east, some haze could have drifted over and affected air quality.”
The PM2.5 levels for the eastern part of Singapore were “normal” with a reading of 27 at 8pm,
according to NEA’s website
. The Pollutant Standards Index – which is based on the amount of six air pollutants – for the area was 58, or in the “moderate” range.
Air quality is deemed “normal” if the PM2.5 reading is in the zero to 55 range, while a PM2.5 level of between 151 and 250 indicates a “high” level of such particles in the air.
The public can check for the latest air quality updates on the myENV mobile app.