Haze Crosses Borders: Singapore Offers Aid, Malaysia Shuts Schools
As fires in Indonesia send unhealthy haze across the region, Singapore has introduced subsidised treatment for haze-related illnesses, while schools remain closed in parts of Malaysia.
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In a Nutshell
- Singapore activated subsidies on October 12 for citizens seeking treatment for conditions linked to haze, including asthma, bronchitis and respiratory infections.
- Eligible patients pay up to $10 for treatment, with the cap reduced to $5 for citizens aged 67 and older.
- In Malaysia, schools reopened in most areas, but closures continued in Johor and parts of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. Johor extended closures through October 16.
- AFP reported that fires on Indonesia’s Borneo and Sumatra islands, intensified by El Niño, are driving the haze. Malaysia’s Firefly also cancelled flights between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore from Saturday to Monday as a precaution.
- According to the Guardian, Singapore enforced its domestic Transboundary Haze Pollution Act to impose civil and criminal liability on specific companies, including foreign ones, operating in Indonesia that contribute to the haze.
Context
The current haze is linked to fires on Indonesia’s Sumatra and Borneo islands, where dry conditions and land-clearing fires have worsened the smoke. Winds carried the pollution across the region, affecting Malaysia before it reached Singapore. As air quality deteriorated, Malaysia closed schools in affected areas, while Singapore introduced subsidised treatment for haze-related illnesses.
Singapore’s subsidies are intended to make medical care more affordable for citizens with haze-related conditions. Malaysia has responded to the current air pollution with school closures in affected areas. The haze has also disrupted travel, with Firefly cancelling some flights between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
Why It Matters
Fires in Indonesia are affecting health, education and travel in neighbouring countries. During El Niño, dry peatlands make land-clearing fires spread more easily and create heavy smoke pollution.
Thus, these recent situations illustrate how people across the region may also suffer from poor environmental management. As climate change brings more disasters, this pollution may also harm public health and economic activity across borders.
What We Think
When agricultural fires fill neighbouring countries with toxic smoke, it shows a lack of responsibility across borders. Free healthcare and temporary school closures help people during a haze crisis, but they do not solve its main causes.
Stronger El Niño conditions show how vulnerable the region is to repeated fires and poor land management. In this situation in particular, it is especially important for governments to enforce laws against illegal land clearing and hold companies accountable, rather than only responding after the damage has occurred.