BackSingapore air quality reaches unhealthy levels due to Indonesian wildfire haze

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SCMP Economy2 hours agoEnvironment1 min readChina

Singapore air quality reaches unhealthy levels due to Indonesian wildfire haze

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Singapore experienced unhealthy air quality across all five regions on Tuesday due to haze from wildfires in neighbouring Indonesia, marking the first time since September 2019 that all regions recorded unhealthy levels, with Singapore's air ranking among the world's 10 most polluted cities according to IQAir data.

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Why It Matters

Singapore experiences periodic haze episodes during Indonesia's dry season due to wildfires, with the last island-wide unhealthy air quality recorded in September 2019.

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The financial hub’s air currently ranks among the 10 most polluted cities in the world, according to IQAir data

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Published: 11:15am, 15 Sep 2026

Singapore was shrouded in haze on Tuesday, with smoke from wildfires in neighbouring Indonesia raising island-wide pollution to levels that pose a health risk.

All five regions of the city state recorded unhealthy air quality levels, the first time that has happened since September 2019, according to the National Environment Agency.

Singapore’s air currently ranks among the 10 most polluted cities in the world, according to IQAir data, with the capitals of Malaysia and Indonesia also among the top spots.

Indonesia often battles wildfires during its annual dry season, but hotspots this year have been higher than normal. There were more than 9,000 recorded in August, the most for the month in data going back to 2015, and more than 7,000 have been recorded so far in September, according to the forestry ministry’s fire-monitoring platform SiPongi.

Open Questions

How long will the current haze conditions persist?
What specific measures are being taken by Indonesian authorities to reduce wildfire hotspots?
Are there any planned bilateral or regional responses to address the recurring haze issue?

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