Summary
Singapore topped IQAir’s live ranking of major polluted cities on Oct 16, with Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia taking second place.
Haze from fires in Indonesia pushed Singapore’s air quality into the “very unhealthy” range as pollution worsened across the region.
Netizens questioned the ranking because pollution readings in parts of Indonesia were far higher, while smoke was crossing national borders.
SINGAPORE: Singapore found itself at the top of a ranking nobody was rushing to celebrate.
The city topped IQAir’s live ranking of major cities with the worst air pollution on Oct 16. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was second as haze continued to blanket parts of Southeast Asia, Khaosod English reported (Oct 16) on its Facebook page.
The air quality ranking, however, elicited puzzled reactions from netizens. Several questioned why Singapore ranked first when the smoke was linked to fires in Indonesia.
Singapore’s air quality worsened during the haze episode. The 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) entered the “very unhealthy” range in several areas. The haze was linked to smoke drifting from fires in Indonesia’s Kalimantan region.
Netizens question what the IQAir ranking means
The wording of the ranking became part of the online discussion.
Some netizens said calling Singapore the “world’s most polluted city” could give readers the wrong idea. They felt it could suggest that the pollution originated within Singapore.
Others pointed to much higher pollution readings reported in Indonesia. Reuters reported that Central Kalimantan recorded pollution levels above 1,200 during the fires.
One commenter questioned how Singapore could rank first when its readings were far lower. Another suggested stating that haze from the Indonesian forest fires had made Singapore’s air the worst among cities on the IQAir list.
A few comments were more playful. One netizen sarcastically thanked Singapore’s neighbour for helping the country secure another “world No. 1” title.
Live city rankings don't show where pollution began
The apparent clash comes down to what the ranking measures.
IQAir’s list compares real-time air quality across major cities included in its global ranking. It isn't a ranking of every location within every country.
That means Singapore topping the list doesn't show where the pollution started. It also doesn't mean every Indonesian city or province had cleaner air at that moment.
Comparing Indonesia’s local pollution readings directly with Singapore’s PSI or IQAir’s city ranking can also be misleading. The figures may come from different monitoring systems, locations and time periods.
What the ranking does show is the severity of Singapore’s exposure to the haze. A ranking can tell us where bad air is being measured, while saying little about where that bad air came from.
In a regional haze crisis, the better headline is usually the one that explains both.
Read related: ‘Blackish-grey rainwater’ — SG residents raise health concerns amid worsening haze pollution in Singapore