Singapore haze worsens as central region PSI reaches unhealthy level

Members of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) are seen on the deck of the Japanese Osumi-class tank landing ship JS Kunisaki (LST-4003), docked at Kijing International Port shrouded in haze from forest and land fires in Mempawah, West Kalimantan, on September 12, 2026. Toxic haze has shrouded parts of Indonesia and Malaysia for weeks as Jakarta struggles to contain fires that have scorched large tracts of Borneo and Sumatra, with the smoke drifting into neighbouring Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei. — AFP pic

First Published: Monday, 14 Sep 2026 1:57 PM MYT

SINGAPORE, Sept 14 — Transboundary smoke haze was observed over Singapore and extended as far as southern Vietnam today morning, the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) said.

In its daily weather and haze situation report, ASMC said the hotspot and haze situation in the region is expected to remain elevated, with a continued risk of transboundary smoke haze.

“The prevailing winds over the southern Asean region are forecast to blow mainly from the southeast, except for parts of Borneo where winds are forecast to be light and variable in direction,” it said today.

ASMC continued to detect moderate to dense smoke haze in central and southern Sumatra, West and Central Kalimantan, as well as parts of Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia.

“Clusters of scattered hotspots were detected in the southern parts of Sumatra, as well as in West, Central and South Kalimantan. A few hotspots were also detected in Peninsular Malaysia and Java,” it added.

According to ASMC, air quality stations in areas affected by transboundary haze are also reporting moderate to unhealthy levels.

Meanwhile, data from Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) showed that the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) in the central region had entered the unhealthy level at 102 as of 12pm.

Air quality elsewhere remained moderate, with the East and West recording a PSI of 91 each, followed by the North at 79 and the South at 82. — Bernama