Singapore haze: Some sports facilities closed as PM2.5 reaches very high band for first time this season

Singapore's air quality hit its highest level of the year on Wednesday, with pollution readings in the western part of the island state reaching 284 microgrammes per cubic metre. This marks the very first time the National Environmental Agency has classified the air quality as "very high" during the current haze period. Meanwhile, East Timor has decided to suspend face-to-face learning activities for three days starting October 15 in response to the intensifying smoke and haze caused by Indonesia's wildfires.

The East Timor government did not explicitly name Indonesia as the source of the pollution, but it shares an island with part of Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province, where numerous hotspots have been reported. Indonesia is currently experiencing its most intense wildfire season in 11 years, exacerbated by the dry weather conditions brought on by El Nino.

The haze has led to a marked increase in respiratory illnesses and a significant drop in air quality across the region, prompting several Malaysian states to also shut down schools. During a press briefing on Wednesday, an official from Indonesia, Honi Havana, stated that the country is mobilizing all its resources and capabilities to combat the wildfires.

President Prabowo Subianto has ordered additional resources to be deployed, with more than 69,000 firefighting personnel now at the disposal of the authorities. They are also testing new methods for effectively putting out fires using special chemicals.

However, disaster mitigation agency spokesperson Berton Panjaitan cautioned that authorities are struggling with peatland fires, which smolder slowly beneath the surface and can re-emerge anytime. Panjaitan emphasized that the only way to resolve this issue is through sustained rainfall.