Parts of Singapore woke up on Monday to air that officials could, at last, call merely moderate – the first such reading anywhere on the island since 9 October. The PSI, the city state’s main pollution gauge and a rolling 24-hour average, slipped below 100 in the north, south and east, while the west and the centre stayed in the unhealthy band. It is a small relief in a haze season that has already made history: Monday was the 15th straight day of unhealthy air, a longer run than during the notorious crisis of 2015.
The smoke drifts over from fires in Indonesia, on Sumatra and in Kalimantan on Borneo, many of them on land held by plantation companies. As recently as Sunday the west of the island registered a PSI of 230, the worst value this year. Singapore’s environment agency NEA warns that the danger has not passed: dense smoke and cloud make it impossible to tell how many hotspots are still burning, and although rain is forecast, fire-prone areas remain dry.
Across the causeway in Malaysia, the state of Johor is suffering most. Its schools will stay closed for another five days, with lessons moving online. In Pasir Gudang the air pollutant index climbed to 190 on Sunday, and health officials have counted more than 30,000 cases of asthma and respiratory infections in October, with weekly numbers rising by about a fifth.
Singapore is trying to turn up the pressure on those it holds responsible. Three further Indonesian companies, all with concessions in Kalimantan, received legal notices from NEA on Monday; ten firms are now in the agency’s sights under the city state’s cross-border haze law. Each must put crews on the ground to fight the flames, end any burning and explain in writing how it will keep fires from breaking out again. Environment Minister Grace Fu said the seven firms contacted last week had not yet replied, while Senior Minister K Shanmugam vowed to chase them for however long is needed.
The haze is hurting livelihoods as well. At Singapore’s Tekka Centre, a 73-year-old hawker said her daily customers had shrunk from about 500 to 200 – just weeks before the Deepavali festival normally fills the market.
