Singapore’s 24-hour PSI has been in the unhealthy range in at least one region since 5 October, the longest stretch of bad air this year and well past the trigger point of the country’s anti-haze law. Under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act 2014, a poor air quality episode begins when the reading reaches the unhealthy band of 101 or higher in any part of Singapore and stays there, in the same or another region, for 24 hours or more.
At 5am on Tuesday 13 October, the 24-hour PSI ranged from 126 in the north to 173 in the west, with central Singapore at 165. The highest reading of 2026 so far was 192, in central Singapore on the evening of 9 October, just short of the very unhealthy band that starts at 201.
What the law allows
The Act lets Singapore take action against companies that cause or condone fires abroad when the smoke reaches Singapore. A company found guilty can be fined up to S$100,000 for each day of haze, capped at S$2 million in total. The National Environment Agency can also issue preventive measures notices that order a company to put out fires, stop burning and submit plans to stop it happening again.
The law also opens a civil route. People and businesses here can sue for personal injury, property damage or economic loss caused by the haze. No one has been fined or sued under the Act since it came into force in September 2014.
Crossing the PSI threshold does not on its own make anyone liable. The authorities still have to show that a particular company caused or contributed to the haze.
NEA monitoring, and the 2015 cases still open
The agency is closely monitoring the haze and gathering information on fire hotspots, where the smoke is coming from and how it affects air quality in Singapore.
The only previous use of the Act came during the 2015 haze. NEA issued legal notices to six Indonesian companies linked to fires on their concession land. Two cases were closed after the companies showed they were no longer tied to the land when it burned. Investigations into the other four, PT Bumi Andalas Permai, PT Bumi Mekar Hijau, PT Sebangun Bumi Andalas Woods Industries and PT Rimba Hutani Mas, are still open 11 years on.
The source this time is again southern Sumatra and Kalimantan. On 12 October, moderate to dense smoke plumes were rising from fires in both areas and drifting towards Singapore on southeasterly winds, with dry weather forecast to persist there.
Runs called off from 5 to 10 October
Running clubs, whose sessions are long and outdoors, started cancelling in the first week.
- Singapore Runners Club cancelled its Monday interval session at Bedok Stadium on 5 October and its Wednesday interval training at Gombak Stadium on 7 October, then called off its Saturday community run at VivoCity on 10 October, citing haze safety concerns.
- Bay East Garden parkrun cancelled its free 5km on Saturday 10 October after air quality reached the unhealthy range at 8pm the night before, the time its team uses to decide.
Singapore Runners Club’s next session is set for 7.15pm on Thursday 15 October.
The forecast
NEA’s forecast for the 24-hour PSI remains in the unhealthy range. Its standing advice is to use the 1-hour PM2.5 reading for any activity in the next few hours and the 24-hour PSI forecast for planning outdoor exercise the next day. At 5am on Tuesday, 1-hour PM2.5 readings ran from 53 micrograms per cubic metre in the north to 114 in central Singapore.
