Singapore to push stronger transboundary haze action as 2027 ASEAN chair

Singapore will push for stronger action against transboundary haze when it chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations next year, the country's environment minister said on Tuesday.

Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu told Parliament that Singapore will work with ASEAN member states to strengthen implementation of the agreement on transboundary haze, and to establish the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control in Indonesia.

Centre needs six ratifications to take effect

In response to questions in Parliament, Fu said the coordinating centre will strengthen cooperation and coordination in managing land and forest fires and transboundary haze. It will only come into force after six ASEAN member states have ratified the establishment agreement, she said.

Haze has eased significantly

According to Singapore's meteorological service, the haze has eased significantly in Singapore with the weakening of the Southwest monsoon, with light and variable winds more likely to blow the smoke away, and increased rainfall also expected in November.

Singapore has been subject to angry rhetoric from Jakarta, partly due to tensions surrounding the wildfires that choked the region in haze last month. Indonesia has warned Muslim pilgrims to avoid transiting through Singapore and has cut gas supplies to the city-state.