South East Asia’s haze returns as fires in Indonesia send smoke across the region

A new round of toxic haze is choking parts of South East Asia, with smoke from fires in Indonesia drifting across the region and pushing air quality in Singapore and nearby areas into unhealthy ranges. The latest episode is a reminder that the annual haze problem remains a cross-border environmental and public health issue, not just a local one.

People in Singapore, Malaysia, Kalimantan, Sumatra and parts of western Sarawak have been affected, according to Singapore’s National Environment Agency haze update. Singapore’s Ministry of Health says the health impact depends on a person’s condition, the air quality level, the length of exposure and how much time is spent outdoors.

The haze has long been tied to land and forest fires in Indonesia, where burning is sometimes used illegally to clear land for plantations. Hot and dry weather can allow those fires to spread quickly, sending smoke over national borders and creating a regional crisis that often requires coordination among several governments.

Authorities point to fires on concession land

On Oct. 16, Singapore’s National Environment Agency said it was closely tracking hotspots and smoke plumes in the region. In a notice issued that day, the agency said there were indications that smoke from fires on land held through concessions under seven companies in Indonesia could have moved toward Singapore. The agency said it remains committed to enforcing action against companies found responsible for transboundary haze.

Singapore’s haze website said moderate to dense transboundary smoke haze was being observed over parts of the region, with air quality stations in Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia recording unhealthy to very unhealthy levels and stations in Borneo and Sumatra reporting unhealthy to hazardous readings. The haze portal did not say when the conditions would ease.

The latest episode is unfolding against the backdrop of a long-running regional agreement. ASEAN member states signed the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution in 2002 after severe fires in the late 1990s, pledging to prevent, monitor and mitigate land and forest fires through national action and regional cooperation.

Indonesia has also stepped up domestic prevention measures. Its environment ministry recently reiterated a ban on opening land by burning and urged local governments to strengthen fire-prevention policies. Even so, recurring dry-season fires continue to test enforcement efforts and regional diplomacy.

For residents across South East Asia, the immediate concern remains the same: how long the smoke will linger and whether conditions will worsen before they improve. For now, officials in the region are continuing to monitor the fires, the winds that carry the haze and the companies and landholders they believe may be linked to the smoke.