Singapore tops global air pollution ranks again, rolls out haze subsidies

Both the city state and Malaysia are grappling with persistently unhealthy air quality due to fires in nearby Indonesia

Singapore again ranked as the world’s most polluted city on Monday, according to Swiss-based air quality monitor IQAir, as the fires on Borneo and Sumatra islands – intensified by a turbocharged El Nino weather phenomenon – keep emitting toxic haze.

The city state has rolled out subsidies for haze-related medical treatment and schools were closed in parts of neighbouring Malaysia, as both countries grapple with persistently unhealthy air quality due to fires in nearby Indonesia.

The fires have created severe haze locally, with tens of thousands of cases of respiratory illnesses.

In Singapore, the government activated schemes on Monday that allow citizens to receive affordable care for haze-related conditions.