Singapore’s air quality worsens to ‘unhealthy’ levels amid Indonesia’s denial of causing haze
- Singapore ’s 24-hour PSI air pollution reading in the east of the island rose as high as 117, with a reading between 101 and 200 deemed ‘unhealthy’
- Seven Indonesian provinces have declared a state of emergency for land and forest fires, but the country denies haze from Indonesia had spread to other countries
Singapore said air quality in the centre and east of the island has reached “unhealthy” levels and warned that hazy conditions may be widespread due to forest fires in Indonesia, increasing tension in the region over cross-border air pollution that causes respiratory illness and can slash tourism revenue.
“Up until this morning, we have not detected any transboundary haze,” Laksmi Dewanti, director general of climate change control at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, said at a press briefing. Satellite imagery on Saturday showed more than 7,700 hotspots – seven times the number recorded a year ago, she said.
Indonesia’s foreign ministry said earlier that Malaysia sent a letter to the environment and forestry ministry, describing the latest air quality situation and offering to cooperate on dealing with the forest fires if needed.