Singapore Records Highest 2026 PM2.5 Level as Indonesian Haze Spreads

Western Singapore recorded a one-hour PM2.5 concentration of 288 micrograms per cubic metre on 14 October, the highest reading of 2026 and the first time the National Environment Agency placed any region in its “very high” band during the current haze period.

The spike occurred as smoke from wildfires on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan drifted across the region. Indonesia is experiencing its most intense fire season in 11 years, driven by a strong El Niño that has dried peatlands. Independent monitoring platform Nusantara Atlas recorded more than one million hotspots and roughly 900,000 hectares burned so far this year. Indonesian health authorities have logged more than 280,000 respiratory cases in affected provinces since mid-August.

Singapore’s NEA began the phased distribution of N95 masks to vulnerable residents and temporarily closed outdoor sports facilities in the west. The 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index had earlier reached 192 in central areas. Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Medan ranked among the world’s most polluted major cities on 14 October according to IQAir data. Schools in parts of Malaysia have closed in recent weeks, and Timor-Leste suspended in-person classes nationwide from 15 to 17 October because of the same pollutant plume.

Peat fires are especially difficult to extinguish because they burn underground and can re-emerge days later. Indonesia has increased firefighting personnel from about 44,000 in mid-September to more than 69,000. President Prabowo Subianto has pledged urgent action, and both Singapore and Malaysia have offered assistance. Environment Minister Grace Fu said she remains in contact with her Indonesian counterpart and supports regional discussions on haze cooperation.

The last major episode of comparable severity occurred in 2015, also an El Niño year, when western Singapore briefly recorded PM2.5 levels of 471 micrograms per cubic metre and schools closed for a day. Current readings remain well below that peak, yet the duration of elevated pollution this year has already exceeded several recent seasons. Wind patterns in early October carried the densest smoke toward Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia.

Economic effects include higher medical costs, reduced outdoor work, and disrupted shipping and aviation schedules in the worst-affected Indonesian ports. Palm-oil companies operating on Sumatra and Kalimantan face renewed scrutiny; Greenpeace has identified multiple fire points on land managed by subsidiaries of Singapore-based First Resources, which maintains a zero-burning policy and says it conducts its own monitoring. Indonesian authorities continue to investigate the sources of the fires, many of which begin as land-clearing practices that escape control in dry conditions.

The haze is expected to persist until seasonal rains increase later in the month. Until then, air-quality agencies across the region are issuing daily updates, and residents in Singapore, Malaysia and parts of Indonesia are advised to limit outdoor activity when PM2.5 enters the high or very high bands.