Singapore weighs legal action as haze turns ‘very unhealthy’

Singapore will "keep its options open" regarding legal action against companies responsible for the current very unhealthy air quality, according to Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu. The city-state is currently experiencing PSI readings ranging from 125 to 207, with the western region recording the highest value.

The law, enacted in 2014, targets those responsible if the haze persists in the unhealthy PSI range for 24 hours or more. The PSI gauge, set to 201 or higher, is classified as "very unhealthy," while a reading above 300 is considered hazardous, potentially triggering school closures. Overnight, the hourly air quality gauge improved, with readings dropping from 288 to a range of 60 to 99 as of 8am local time.

Several Southeast Asian countries have been engulfed in toxic haze from Indonesian forest fires for weeks. Fu expressed hope that Indonesian authorities would contain the fires, citing the challenging conditions brought on by El Nino. While there has been no update from Indonesia, environmental group Greenpeace has identified over 20 companies, including those with ties to Malaysia and Singapore, whose land concessions are implicated in the smoke.

Those found guilty under Singapore's transboundary haze law face daily fines of up to S$100,000 (US$77,855), with a maximum total fine of S$2 million.