Smoke from fires in Indonesia pushes Singapore’s air into the “very unhealthy” range, and the region’s haze may not ease soon

Singapore measures haze with a 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index. The National Environment Agency calls readings of 101 to 200 unhealthy, 201 to 300 very unhealthy, and above 300 hazardous. At 7 p.m. Friday Singapore time, the readings were 225 in the central region, 202 in the west, 201 in the east, 183 in the south, and 162 in the north, according to government data. A day earlier, at 6 p.m. Thursday, the range was 121 to 186.

The smoke comes mainly from fires on Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo, the weather service says; southeasterly winds carry it toward Singapore. Smoke also lies over Sumatra.

The agency’s regional update Friday evening says moderate to dense smoke covers parts of Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Kalimantan, Sumatra, and western Sarawak, and also Papua, Sulawesi, the Maluku Islands, and eastern Sabah. Air-quality stations in Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia recorded unhealthy to very unhealthy levels; stations on Borneo and Sumatra reported unhealthy to hazardous. Thick smoke and clouds kept forecasters from seeing every fire.

Outlook. Showers are expected over Peninsular Malaysia, northern and central Sumatra, and parts of Borneo, which may help there. But the agency says the haze should stay elevated in fire-prone places that stay dry, with a continued risk of severe haze drifting across borders. Singapore’s weather service said Thursday that winds over the weekend should shift to come from the southeast or south, which could carry less smoke from Kalimantan to Singapore, though some smoke from Sumatra may still drift in.

Health. The agency says the effect of haze depends on a person’s health, the index level, and how long and how hard they are active outdoors. It tells people to check the one-hour fine-particle readings before going out, and to use the 24-hour forecast and its health advisory to plan the next day.