Why Is Singapore So Hazy? The Indonesian Fires Behind the Haze, Explained

Singapore's air hit a PSI of 192 on 9 October, the worst reading of 2026. The smoke comes from fires hundreds of kilometres away in Sumatra and Kalimantan. They are lit by people, mostly to clear land. We explain what's burning (drained peat), why people burn it, why El Niño years explode, who pays, what's been tried, and how long this haze is likely to last. 0:00 The worst air this year 0:42 What's burning 2:09 Why burn 3:50 Why this year 5:42 Who pays 6:37 What can we do 9:31 How long will it last? Sources: NEA (real-time PSI, myENV); Meteorological Service Singapore; ASMC; NOAA Climate Prediction Center; Australian Bureau of Meteorology; Indonesia's Ministry of Forestry (SiPongi); Global Fire Emissions Database; World Bank (Indonesia Economic Quarterly, Dec 2015); Kiely et al. 2019; Hu et al. 2018; Warren et al. 2017; Field et al. 2016; Marlier et al. 2015; Koplitz et al. 2016; Crippa et al. 2016; Quah, Chia & Tan 2021; Salmayenti et al. 2026; Purnomo et al. (CIFOR); Indonesia Law 32/2009; Singapore Transboundary Haze Pollution Act 2014; ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution; RSPO; Association of Banks in Singapore. Attributed news: Al Jazeera, ANTARA, JPNN, The Jakarta Post, The Straits Times, AFP. Photos (Wikimedia Commons / Open Food Facts): ZKang123 (CC BY-SA 4.0) Robert Sim (CC BY-SA 4.0) Sgconlaw (CC BY-SA 4.0) YJJcoolcool (CC BY 4.0) DenY Krisbiyantoro (CC BY-SA 4.0) OttaEl (CC BY 4.0) Asleep15 (CC BY 4.0) Rantemario (CC BY-SA 4.0) Herusutimbul (CC BY-SA 4.0) Ruanda Agung Sugardiman/AusAID (CC BY 2.0) Gambut Pratama (CC BY-SA 4.0) Forest Carbon (CC BY-SA 4.0) Jimmy Tan (CC BY 2.0) Open Food Facts contributors (CC BY-SA 3.0) RSPO label shown for identification. NEA myENV screenshots: our own. Analysed. Data, explained. #Singapore #Haze #Indonesia