Air quality fell to unhealthy levels in parts of the northern and central Maldives on Tuesday, with the worst reading at Sh. Funadhoo, according to real-time readings published by the Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy.
What you should do
During earlier haze episodes, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) advised children, older people, pregnant women and people with asthma, other breathing problems, allergies or heart conditions to limit their time outdoors. Its standing advice is:
Avoid outdoor exercise and cut down on unnecessary time outside.
Wear an N95 mask or a similar protective face covering if you have to go out.
Keep doors and windows closed and use an air purifier if you have one.
Check the latest readings on the Environment Ministry's website before going out.
The HPA's website was down for maintenance on Tuesday evening, and no new advisory for this episode could be found there.
The readings
The ministry's air-quality dashboard showed a US AQI of 159 for Sh. Funadhoo at 5pm, a level classed as unhealthy for everyone. Villimalé recorded 127, which is unhealthy for sensitive groups. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) was the main pollutant.
The Galolhu Sahara station in Malé showed 82 at 6.28pm, a moderate level, while Dh. Kudahuvadhoo (62) and L. Fonadhoo (53) were also moderate. In the south, Fuvahmulah (39) and Addu City (22) recorded good air quality.
On the US AQI scale used on the ministry's dashboard, readings from 101 to 150 are unhealthy for sensitive groups and readings above 150 are unhealthy for the whole population.
The Maldives is usually hit hardest by polluted air during the northeast monsoon, known locally as Iruvai, when winds carry dust and smoke from the Indian subcontinent. The authorities have not yet said what caused Tuesday's readings.
The Maldives Meteorological Service had no active weather alerts in force on Tuesday evening.