Singapore Air Quality Enters Unhealthy Range as Kalimantan Haze Worsens

Singapore has entered the world’s five most polluted cities as toxic haze from wildfires on Kalimantan spreads across the region. The city-state’s central area reached unhealthy pollution levels on Friday, September 4, 2026.

IQAir recorded Singapore’s Air Quality Index at 151 at 11:33 a.m. Jakarta time, with PM2.5 concentrations of 56.1 micrograms per cubic metre. These fine particles can lodge in the lungs and enter the bloodstream.

Singapore’s National Environment Agency also recorded unhealthy conditions. The central region’s 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index rose from 101 at 7 a.m. to 105 at 10 a.m. The agency classifies PSI readings from 101 to 200 as unhealthy and readings above 300 as hazardous. Other parts of Singapore remained in the moderate range.

Kuching, the Malaysian city on Kalimantan, recorded hazardous pollution and ranked as the most polluted city in the IQAir readings. Haze also affected Malaysia and southwestern parts of the Philippines. Malaysia has reported spikes in asthma cases and is seeking an ASEAN review of parts of the bloc’s transboundary haze agreement.

Wildfires recur in the region, where traditional and commercial land clearing fuel fires. A super El Niño is intensifying this year’s blazes and haze, while the number of hotspots across Kalimantan has risen again despite earlier reports of a decline. The NEA forecast dry conditions across many parts of southern ASEAN over the following days, with showers expected in some areas of Malaysia, Sumatra and central Borneo.

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Over the next few days, dry conditions are forecast over many parts of the southern ASEAN region, apart from the northern parts of Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra, and the central parts of Borneo, where showers are expected