Oral Reply to Parliamentary Question on Haze-related Issues

Questions:

Ms Valerie Lee: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) over the past decade, whether Singapore has initiated or proposed a joint firefighting task force with Malaysia and Indonesia to combat forest and peatland fires causing transboundary haze; and (b) if not, why not; and (c) whether the Ministry has plans to establish such a task force.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) on what date Indonesia officially accepted Singapore's offer of firefighting assistance for the October 2026 transboundary haze episode; (b) what specific assets and personnel were accepted; (c) whether assistance has been deployed and in what form; and (d) if not deployed, when and in what form it will be dispatched, including whether SCDF firefighters will be deployed on the ground.

Ms Hazlina Abdul Halim: To ask the Minister Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether concrete action has been taken under the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP) in response to the current haze episode; (b) if so, what those actions are; (c) whether joint emergency responses and cross-border firefighting assistance have been activated; and (d) what obstacles have delayed or prevented such action and how Singapore will seek to address them.

Miss Rachel Ong: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether the Government will engage affected countries and offer assistance when hotspots first emerge, in advance of any escalation in haze levels; and (b) how will Singapore’s 2027 ASEAN Chairmanship drive stronger regional accountability, earlier intervention and measurable commitments towards preventing future haze episodes.

Ms Poh Li San: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether early measures have been taken to contain hot spots in Kalimantan and Sumatra in past months under the environmental cooperation agreement between Indonesia and Singapore signed in June 2026; (b) if so, what are the early measures taken; and (c) what forms of assistance will Singapore offer to Indonesia in fighting the forest fires and their expected effectiveness.

Dr Choo Pei Ling: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) how the Ministry assesses the respective roles of climatic conditions and human activities in the October 2026 forest fires and transboundary haze; and (b) what further measures Singapore is pursuing with Indonesia and other ASEAN Member States to strengthen upstream fire prevention and enforcement and accelerate progress towards the shared goal of a transboundary haze-free ASEAN by 2030.

Ms Hany Soh: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether Singapore intends to lead the prevention and mitigation of the recurring haze situation with ASEAN member states when it takes on the ASEAN chairmanship on 1 January 2027.

Answer:

Mr Speaker, may I address Question Nos 45 to 48 and written Question Nos 43 and 46 on today’s Order Paper? The response to this question also addresses a related Parliamentary Question filed by MP Ms Hany Soh for sitting on 4 November 2026.

Members have asked about the relative contributions of climatic conditions and human activities that caused recent peatland and forest fires, as well as transboundary haze. Healthy peatlands are wet ecosystems that do not burn spontaneously. Human activities such as draining of peatlands and slash-and-burn practices are the primary sources of fires. The challenging El Nino conditions this year led to a longer dry season in our region, making fires easier to start and worsening their intensity.

Singapore has been working closely with our neighbours, bilaterally and through ASEAN, to address transboundary haze.

Regional Prevention and Response

The ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, or AATHP, is the key framework for ASEAN Member States to work collectively to prevent, monitor and mitigate land and forest fires and the resultant haze. The ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre, or ASMC, hosted by Singapore since 1993, provides ASEAN Member States with regional weather, climate and smoke haze assessments, and disseminates satellite imagery and hot spot information. In line with the ASEAN agreed operating procedures, the ASMC advises on regional alert levels between zero representing no risk of transboundary haze and level three representing high risk of severe transboundary haze.

We had also acted ahead of this year’s dry season. In May, in view of the heightened risk of transboundary haze, Singapore alerted ASEAN Member States to step up vigilance and strengthen regional coordination. We reiterated this at the Sub-Regional Ministerial Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution in July, where Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand highlighted their respective national preventive measures, and reaffirmed their commitment to remaining vigilant and taking appropriate measures during the dry season. As conditions subsequently evolved, ASMC advised the activation of Alert Level 2 on 3 August as hotspot activity and haze increased, and upgraded Alert to the highest level on 26 August as the risk significantly increased given the hotspot conditions.

Firefighting and Humanitarian Assistance

Where preventive measures fail, Singapore stands ready to assist Indonesia where needed and welcomed. We have communicated this at various levels to our Indonesian counterpart. Singapore’s offer included civilian assistance to support Indonesia's firefighters and operational support for cloud-seeding.

Our continued bilateral cooperation on transboundary haze pollution is in line with the Memorandum of Understanding that Singapore signed with Indonesia on Environmental Cooperation in June this year.

On 19 October, Indonesia informed us that it was able to handle the situation and did not require foreign assistance. Singapore respects Indonesia's sovereignty and its assessment of its needs, including whether the establishment of a joint regional firefighting task force would be helpful.

Strengthening ASEAN Cooperation

As Singapore assumes the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2027, we will work with ASEAN Member States to strengthen the implementation of the AATHP, including working towards the establishment of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control (or ACC THPC) in Indonesia, which will strengthen cooperation and coordination in managing land and forest fires and transboundary haze. This will only come into force after six ASEAN Member States have ratified the Establishment Agreement of the ACC THPC. Singapore will submit our Instrument of Ratification for the Establishment Agreement in the next few days, and we will strongly encourage other ASEAN Member States to do so.

Beyond the AATHP, we will work with other ASEAN Member States to enhance the implementation of relevant initiatives in other ASEAN sectoral pillars that tackle the root causes of transboundary haze, such as sustainable land and peatland management, and guidelines on crop burning.

Some AMS have indicated they will be raising the transboundary haze issue at the upcoming ASEAN meetings. Singapore will support these discussions, and share how Singapore intends to act against companies responsible for the haze