Haze covered Singapore on Friday (October 23) as forest fires in Indonesia continued to send choking smoke drifting across parts of Southeast Asia.
On the National Environment Agency’s website, the three-hour average of the Pollutant Standards Index at 12 pm (0400 GMT) registered at 175, indicating an “unhealthy” level of air pollution.
Indonesia has come under increased pressure from its neighbours to contain the annual “haze” crisis, which is caused by slash-and-burn agriculture practices, largely on Sumatra and Kalimantan.
However, it has failed to put out the fires, with “hot spots” growing in eastern parts of the country and industry officials and analysts estimating the smoke will last until early 2016.
A senior official at a company active in Indonesia’s forested areas said the haze could continue until March.
Indonesia usually enters its wet season in October and November, but this year the country is expected to face moderate El Nino dry conditions which could strengthen until December and may hinder efforts to control the fires.
Indonesia’s national disaster management agency has made several forecasts for when the forest fires will be brought under control, many of which have now passed, but their latest target date is early November.