JakartaPost/AFP-Oct 12, 2026
The government is under pressure to tighten its crackdown on polluters and accept more international assistance in putting out forest and peatland fires, as transboundary haze continues to choke the region. The raging fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra hit a critical phase this year, resulting in toxic smog that blankets neighboring countries including Malaysia and Singapore. On Sunday, the Malaysian environment department reported unhealthy air pollution index (API) readings in Kuala Lumpur, Johor and 12 other locations, or about one-fifth of all monitored regions across the country. Johor, Malaysia’s second most populous state, announced a week-long closure of all schools and educational institutions starting on Monday, citing rising public health risks. In neighboring Singapore, air quality readings were also recorded at unhealthy levels on Sunday, with the city-state mulling suspending classes and national examinations if pollution reaches the “hazardous” level. Around 60,000 joint personnel have been deployed to battle wildfires across six provinces prioritized for aerial firefighting and weather modification operations in Indonesia: South Sumatra, Riau, Jambi, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan. Read also: Worsening haze disrupts flights across Sumatra The Foreign Ministry in Jakarta has also reasserted its compliance to the regional framework on cross-border haze known as the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP), which requires regular reporting on fire activity data and firefighting responses. The statement came as regional haze worsened over the past few weeks, prompting Singapore and Malaysia to offer firefighting assistance. On Saturday, Singapore Sustainability and Environment Minister Grace Fu, who has been in touch with her Indonesian counterpart Jumhur Hidayat, said she was aware of ongoing efforts in Indonesia and that Singapore “stands ready with assistance to combat the fires, as we have done in previous years”. Indonesia has been battling fires for weeks in parts of Kalimantan and Sumatra, sending suffocating haze across the islands and neighboring Malaysia and Singapore. Read more at:
