Singapore haze hits 14th day as it targets seven firms

Singapore’s air quality reached a season-high reading of 230 in the western part of the island on Oct. 18, the 14th consecutive day of unhealthy haze, as the government said it would act against seven companies it links to fires in Indonesia, Malay Mail reported, citing The Straits Times and the National Environment Agency.

Updated Oct. 18, 2026.

A 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) reading of 201 to 300 is classed as “very unhealthy.” The rest of Singapore was in the “unhealthy” range of 130 to 187 on Sunday, Malay Mail reported. The unhealthy streak began on Oct. 5. The 2015 haze crisis, the region’s worst in recent memory, also lasted 14 consecutive bad-air days, from Sept. 23 to Oct. 7 that year, according to the same report.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said in its Oct. 17 haze update that one-hour PM2.5 readings at 7 p.m. ranged from 106 to 198 micrograms per cubic metre. It forecast a PSI of 150 to 220 for Oct. 18, the unhealthy to very unhealthy range. Southeasterly winds carried smoke from fires in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo, toward Singapore, the agency said, and smoke was also seen over Sumatra.

The highest PM2.5 reading this year was 288 in the west at 3 p.m. on Oct. 14, The Straits Times reported, as relayed by Malay Mail.

Sustainability and the Environment Minister Grace Fu said at a press conference on Oct. 16 that “some of the haze experienced in Singapore originated from fires on the lands of seven companies in Indonesia.” The NEA will issue preventive measure notices under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, according to Malay Mail, citing Bernama.

The notices require the firms to deploy firefighters on land they own or occupy, stop or avoid any burning and submit action plans to the NEA. “Where warranted, we will take further action under the THPA,” Fu said. The companies have not been named. Bloomberg, in a report carried by the South China Morning Post, said Fu did not say whether they are Singaporean or Indonesian and that the government will publish the list later. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Oct. 15 that those found responsible could face legal action, the report said.

Neither report included a response from the Indonesian government to the Singapore notices.

In Indonesia, the Forestry Ministry said four people fighting a fire in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in East Java were killed on Oct. 15 and two others were seriously burned, Al Jazeera reported. Satellite monitoring detected 799 high-confidence hotspots nationwide as of the night of Oct. 15, up 427 from the day before, the ministry said, while cautioning that a single fire can register as several hotspots. Sumatra and Borneo are the worst affected.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has approved accepting help from neighbouring countries, Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir said, according to Reuters as cited by Al Jazeera. Singapore has said it is ready to assist. Malaysia has also been hit: its Education Ministry ordered schools to close in areas where the air pollution index tops 180, as Canada News Media reported on Oct. 8.

Fu said haze is likely to persist and air quality could fluctuate, possibly reaching hazardous levels, with improvement expected when the region moves into the inter-monsoon period, which she said was “another three to four weeks away.” She said N95 masks were being distributed through 37 vending machines for vulnerable residents and that government and retail stocks were sufficient.

For Canadians in or travelling to Singapore, the Government of Canada’s travel advice, last updated Oct. 15, rates the country “take normal security precautions” and says smoke haze and other air pollution can be particularly hazardous from June to October. The NEA advises children, older adults, pregnant women and people with chronic heart or lung disease to minimize outdoor activity when readings are high.

The NEA said showers and a shift to south-southeasterly winds on Oct. 18 may reduce smoke from Kalimantan, though some haze from Sumatra could still drift in, with more showers forecast for Oct. 19 and 20. The agency publishes updates at haze.gov.sg.

Via Malay Mail, the National Environment Agency, Al Jazeera and the South China Morning Post.

If you find reporting like this useful, consider supporting Canada News Media, an independent Canadian newsroom with no corporate parent.