SINGAPORE has stepped up pressure on seven Indonesian companies linked to forest and land fires, issuing preventive notices requiring them to deploy firefighters as cross-border haze threatens air quality across the region.
The notices, issued on Friday, require the companies to control existing fires or prevent them from spreading on land they own or occupy, Sustainability and Environment Minister Grace Fu said.
The action comes as Indonesia continues to battle fires across Sumatra and Kalimantan, with the country’s Forestry Ministry reporting 354 hotspots as of 9pm local time on Friday.
Although the total fell by 445, or 55.7 per cent, from 799 on Thursday, air quality remained at very unhealthy to hazardous levels in parts of Central and South Kalimantan, South Sumatra and Jambi, according to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).
South Sumatra recorded the highest number of hotspots at 132, up from 122 a day earlier. Central Kalimantan saw a sharp decline from 389 to 19, while West Kalimantan recorded 24 and Jambi two. No hotspots were detected in South Kalimantan or Riau.
Smoke from forest fires has also spread to the skies over Jakarta, Banten and West Java, local media reported on Friday, citing the BMKG. Two domestic flights between Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta and Ternate in North Maluku were reportedly cancelled due to poor visibility.
Jakarta’s Environmental Agency recorded an Air Pollution Standard Index reading of 156 at Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, at 6.30am on Saturday, indicating unhealthy air quality.
Indonesia has deployed 61 aircraft for firefighting and related operations, including 44 for water-bombing and 17 for aerial patrols and weather modification.
Singapore’s move relies on its Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, which came into force in 2014 and empowers authorities to seek information and issue preventive notices to parties linked to haze pollution affecting the country, including activities overseas.
However, CNA reported Associate Professor Jolene Lin of the National University of Singapore and director of the Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law, saying enforcement could carry diplomatic consequences. Singapore’s attempt to use the law in 2015 drew an unfavourable response from Indonesia.
The National Environment Agency said earlier this week that investigations into four companies launched in 2015 were still ongoing, illustrating the challenges of pursuing cases under the legislation.
Lin said individuals or companies severely affected by haze could also potentially take legal action against entities linked to the pollution. - October 17, 2026