About Us
The haze website was commissioned in June 2013 as a national portal to provide air quality information and guidelines on haze-related issues. In this website, visitors can find information such as the PSI readings, 1-hr PM2.5 readings, hotspot images and haze related links and articles. The website also provides the latest haze situation updates during the haze season.
Air Quality Indicators
The Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) and 1-hour PM2.5 concentration readings are useful for planning your activities during the haze season.
The PSI translates air quality levels into an index. Scientific studies on the health effects of particulate matter are based on a 24-hour exposure. Use the 24-hour PSI forecast and corresponding health advisory to plan ahead like going to work or school tomorrow. The 24-hour PSI forecast is only available during the haze season.
The 1- hour PM2.5 concentration readings is a good indicator of the current air quality. During the haze season, the main air pollutant is PM2.5. Use the 1-hour PM2.5 figures and corresponding bands and descriptors to better interpret the 1-hr PM2.5 concentration readings and plan their immediate personal activities.
Health advisory for the general public
The health effects of haze are dependent on an individual’s health status – for example, whether one has pre-existing chronic heart or lung disease; the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) level; and the duration and intensity of outdoor activity.
Reducing outdoor activities and physical exertion can help limit the adverse effects of haze exposure. Those who do not feel well, especially the elderly and children, and those with chronic heart or lung conditions, should seek medical attention.
Managing haze
Singapore experiences smoke haze from time to time. The haze is caused by regional forest fires which arise when open burning is carried out to clear land for agricultural uses. Haze is often worse in dry periods, when the wind changes direction, and when precipitation is low. Prevailing winds sometimes carry smoke haze produced by the forest fires over Singapore’s skies, particularly during the Southwest monsoon season.
The solution to the haze issue is to end the practice of forest burning through sustained international efforts. Meanwhile, Singapore is taking steps to ensure its population is equipped to deal with haze when it occurs. Such steps include the provision of early haze warnings, measurement and dissemination of air quality information, and guidelines for dealing with haze-related issues.
ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre
NEA works with its ASEAN partners to combat haze. Together with the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS), NEA hosts the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) – a collaborative programme between the national meteorological services of ASEAN member countries – to manage the regional haze problem. ASMC’s primary function is to monitor and provide assessments of forest fires and transboundary smoke haze in the ASEAN region.
For information on ASMC and its services, visit its
website.