Singapore ready to help Indonesia fight fires as haze keeps air unhealthy

Singapore stood ready to help Indonesia fight forest fires, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said on Saturday, 10 October, as haze kept air quality unhealthy across Singapore. Fu said she had contacted her Indonesian counterpart, Jumhur Hidayat. Singapore's government has convened a 28-agency task force to prepare further public-health measures if pollution worsens.

Fu told reporters that Singapore had offered support and appreciated Indonesia's efforts to contain the fires. ‘We stand ready to assist where we can,’ she said, according to Channel NewsAsia (CNA). Her statement described an offer of assistance; the report did not establish that Singapore had sent firefighting personnel or equipment to Indonesia.

How unhealthy was Singapore's air on 10 October?

CNA reported that at 9am Saturday, the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index, or PSI, ranged from 124 in northern Singapore to 174 in the central region. All five regions were in the unhealthy range. The readings had eased overnight but still showed why residents were being asked to pay attention to outdoor activity and further advisories.

The previous day, central Singapore's 24-hour PSI reached 192, which CNA described as a high for the 2026 haze season. In its Friday advisory, the National Environment Agency (NEA) recorded a 24-hour PSI range of 136 to 192 at 7pm and one-hour PM2.5 concentrations of 69 to 123 micrograms per cubic metre. Those measurements refer to Friday evening, while CNA's regional figures refer to Saturday morning; neither establishes conditions later on Saturday.

What Singapore has prepared if haze worsens

The Haze Task Force, led by NEA and comprising 28 government agencies, had been convened before Fu's Saturday remarks. NEA said the agencies were ready to introduce the next tier of measures and advisories if needed. Being ready to act is distinct from a report that the PSI has crossed 200: the Saturday morning figures cited by CNA remained below that threshold.

NEA's advisory said healthy people should avoid prolonged, strenuous outdoor exertion. It advised older people, pregnant women and children to minimise outdoor activity, and people with chronic heart or lung disease to avoid it. The agency said the health effect depends on a person's condition, the PSI level, and the duration and intensity of outdoor activity. These groups are among those the task force said it was preparing to protect.

Hospitals, polyclinics and nursing homes had activated haze preparations, NEA said. Depending on the setting, these included air purifiers, closing windows in wards and corridors, and portable air coolers. Community care providers offering residential or centre-based services were reminded to replace outdoor activities with indoor ones. Schools were to continue indoor lessons and avoid outdoor activities; the education ministry would consider closures if the next-day forecast reached hazardous levels, defined as a 24-hour PSI above 300.

If the PSI rises above 200, NEA said eligible Singaporeans could collect N95 masks through People's Association grassroots organisations, with vending machines at selected public transport hubs and social service offices. Its eligibility categories include specified assistance or healthcare card holders, pregnant women, children aged seven to 16, and people with medical conditions. The agency also identified air-conditioned rooms in Community Clubs and selected Residents' Committee and Residents' Network Centres as haze shelters at that threshold. Community Club shelter hours would extend to 10pm if conditions became hazardous.

What is known about help for Indonesia

Fu said she supported regional discussions on cooperation over haze and that Singapore had plans to protect public health. CNA reported that she did not take reporters' questions at her Saturday media appearance, leaving the form, timing and conditions of any Singapore firefighting assistance unspecified. Her offer followed a week in which NEA said hotspots and winds had worsened the haze affecting Singapore.