Singapore Dilanda Worst Air Pollution Umbas Karhutla Indonesia

The fires of forests and land (karhutla) in Indonesia are increasingly affecting the neighboring country. Singapore is now exposed to severe air pollution due to smoke fog across the border, with the air quality reaching its very unhealthy category.

Compelled from AFP, Monday (19 / 10 / 2026), calling Singapore to be experiencing a longest-lasting air quality period since the great fog crisis in 2015.

"Singapore is now experiencing the longest duration of air quality in an unhealthy range since 2015," said the Vice Director of the Singapore National Environment Agency, Jason Evans Tan, explaining that the period began on October 5th.

This condition triggered forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan. Smoke carried by wind across the border until it covered Singapore and a number of Southeast Asia regions.

Swiss air-monitoring agencies, IQAir, re-placing Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, among the five major cities with the world's worst air pollution on Sunday (18 / 10) afternoon.

In Singapore, the smooth concentration of PM2.5 particles is still high in the western region. The Pollutant Standard Index or Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) 24 hours even has reached a very unhealthy category.

PM2.5 is a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or smaller particles that can go deep into the lungs. This pollutant becomes the main contributor of pollution during smoke fog.

However, PM2.5 is not equal to PSI.

The NEA explained that the direction of the wind was a major factor in the smog movement of Indonesia.

In the update of October 17, NEA called the southeast wind carrying fire smoke from Kalimantan to Singapore. Smoke is also monitored in Sumatra.

For Monday (19 / 10 / 2026), NEA estimates the PSI are at 100-190 range. It means that air quality is still potentially unhealthy.

This year's Karhutla has worsened the drought due to El Niño, and the land fire is also a challenge because fire can burn under the ground, resulting in a dense smoke that is difficult to control.

The expert on atmospheric science from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore, Wang Jingyu, says Southeast Asia is facing a super El Niño phenomenon that is worsening the drought.

"Because of the Super El Niño phenomenon that hit all over Southeast Asia, the sea surface temperature was colder than usual," said Wang to AFP.

According to him, lower ocean temperatures reduce evaporation so that the water supply for the formation of rain is limited.

"Insufficient rainfall. The fire is hard to put out," obviously.

It's getting worse by the many hurricane systems in the East Asia region. Wang described hurricanes like sponges that absorb moisture and divert them from affected areas of fire.

As a result, the area that needs rain to help put out the fire is experiencing a lack of rainfall.

The Singapore government began to take action against companies that were suspected of dealing with fires causing smoke fog.

The Minister of Advanced and Environment of Singapore Grace Fu revealed that his side identifies seven companies in Indonesia whose land is suspected to be the source of some smoke reaching Singapore.

"Our investigation has so far shown that part of the smog that Singapore experienced came from fires on seven companies in Indonesia," said Fu, as the AFP quoted.

The Singapore government plans to send a notice to the company to deal with the fire immediately and submit a preventative plan.