September 4, 2026 | 12:21 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - As wildfires blaze on the majority of the island of Kalimantan, toxic haze spreads across the ocean to Singapore. Air quality in the city-state worsens on Friday, September 4, 2026, reaching unhealthy levels in the central region of Singapore, according to CNA and The Straits Times.
Readings from IQAir, the real-time global air quality monitoring platform, show the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Singapore reaching 151 as of 11:33 a.m. Jakarta time, with PM2.5 pollutant levels of 56.1 µg/m³.
PM2.5, a fine particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers, is a hazardous pollutant commonly found during haze. With a width 30 times smaller than a strand of hair, PM2.5 can fester in the lungs and enter the bloodstream.
At this level of haze, Singapore surges into the top 5 most polluted cities today, with Kuching, the Malaysian city on the island of Kalimantan, recording a "hazardous" level of pollution and taking the top spot.
The IQAir reading is supported by data from the Singapore National Environment Agency (NEA), which recorded unhealthy levels of air quality in the country's central region after the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) exceeded 101 on Friday.
NEA deems air quality to be unhealthy in the range of 101 to 200 and crosses into hazardous level if exceeding 300.
In central Singapore, PSI readings reached 101 by 7:00 a.m. today, and surged to 105 by 10:00 a.m. Elsewhere in the country, the PSI readings remained in the moderate range, according to CNA.
The 24-hour PSI forecasts Singapore's daily air quality and the corresponding health advisories for outdoor activities. The index is computed based on six air pollutants: PM2.5, PM10, ozone, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide.
Besides Singapore, haze also badly affects Malaysia and the southwestern parts of the Philippines. Malaysia has seen records of spikes in asthma cases due to the smoke, and is now seeking ASEAN to review parts of the bloc's transboundary haze agreement.
While wildfires are an annual concern in the region, fueled by traditional and commercial land-clearing practices, this year's super El Nino phenomenon exacerbates the impact and intensity of the blazes and the subsequent haze.
The number of hotspots across Kalimantan was once again rising, according to The Edge Malaysia, despite reports of earlier decline. This condition highlights the challenges in containing fire in the peatland-rich region as dryness persists.
"Over the next few days, dry conditions are forecast over many parts of the southern ASEAN region, apart from the northern parts of Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra, and the central parts of Borneo, where showers are expected," said NEA.
Read: How Will Singapore GP Handle Haze During F1 Race?
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