Singapore takes legal action against 7 Indonesian firms over haze

Singapore's environment minister, Grace Fu, has taken legal action against seven Indonesian companies over haze pollution that has significantly deteriorated air quality in the city-state. The haze, causing unhealthy smoke pollution from transboundary fires, has prompted the Singapore environment agency to issue notices to the Indonesian firms.

Fu stated that these notices would be sent following investigations into the companies responsible for causing the haze in Singapore. The Singapore government's investigation suggests that smoke pollution from these Indonesian companies is the source of some haze experienced in Singapore. The notices given to the Indonesian firms require them to deploy firefighting personnel to extinguish fires on their land, prevent the fires from spreading, and discontinue any burning activities.

The minister also informed that the haze conditions in Singapore are expected to persist for three to four weeks, with air quality potentially reaching hazardous levels. However, as the inter-monsoon period approaches towards the end of October or early November, experts anticipate a gradual improvement in the situation. In the meantime, the Singapore government has begun distributing N95 masks to vulnerable citizens through 37 vending machines across the island.