Indonesia welcomes Singapore, Malaysia offers to help tackle haze

Neighbours offer help as haze raises F1 concerns

Singapore and Malaysia have offered to help Indonesia fight the fires, which have worsened air quality in parts of both countries.

Singapore’s Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said on Oct 10 that she had been in touch with her Indonesian counterpart, Environment Minister Jumhur Hidayat, to offer support and express appreciation for his efforts to contain the fires.

“We are aware that efforts are going on. We stand ready to assist where we can,” she told reporters at Our Tampines Hub.

Singapore’s 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) reached 192 in central Singapore at 6pm on Oct 9, its highest reading so far in 2026 and close to the very unhealthy range, which begins at 201.

Asked about concerns over air quality and the smooth running of the Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix, which is being held from Oct 9 to 11 at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, Ristianto said: “We understand the concerns about air quality and the smooth running of the event.

“Our priority in tackling forest and land fires remains the safety and health of communities, both in Indonesia and across the region.”

He said firefighting efforts were guided by conditions on the ground, the potential spread of smoke and operational needs, including preventing fires from spreading or recurring.

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Oct 8 that he had spoken to Prabowo by telephone about the haze and that the Indonesian President had agreed to take steps to address the issue, according to Malaysian national news agency Bernama.

Anwar said Malaysia had been offering assistance for several weeks and had instructed his foreign and environment ministers to contact their Indonesian counterparts.

Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said on Oct 7 that Prabowo had accepted Malaysia’s offer of firefighting assistance, although the two countries were still discussing how and where Malaysian personnel would be deployed, according to Bernama.

Singapore previously sent personnel and equipment to help Indonesia fight forest fires in 2015. The deployment included a six-man Singapore Civil Defence Force Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team, a Republic of Singapore Air Force Chinook helicopter and 34 Singapore Armed Forces personnel to support firefighting operations in Sumatra.

ASEAN haze cooperation still faces hurdles

Singapore and Indonesia signed an environmental cooperation agreement in June 2026 covering transboundary pollution.

The two countries have also discussed sharing more early-warning information and possible Singapore support for the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control, to be based in Indonesia.

At a meeting in Bali on July 9, ASEAN environment ministers and officials expressed appreciation for Indonesia’s progress in setting up the centre and stressed the importance of completing ratification procedures promptly.

The agreement establishing the centre has yet to take effect, with ASEAN’s official legal instruments database listing its status as “Not In Force”.

Meanwhile, Indonesia continues to battle forest and land fires across Sumatra and Kalimantan, where peat fires have proved particularly difficult to extinguish.

The Forestry Ministry said on Oct 9 that 61 aircraft were on standby to fight the fires. Air quality remains unhealthy to very unhealthy in parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan, with hazardous levels recorded in some areas of Kalimantan.

Berton said he hopes that rainfall expected in late October or early November would help extinguish the fires. “Only rain can flood the peatland. It takes heavy rain, and not just once or twice, to put the fires out completely,” he told Kompas TV on Oct 10.