Singapore’s air pollution worst in world as haze shuts Malaysia schools

Singapore’s air pollution worsened to the highest in the world as haze from Indonesia wildfires blankets the region days before the city state’s annual Formula One weekend.

Air quality levels in Singapore were in the “very unhealthy” range as of Wednesday afternoon, according to data from IQAir. Nearby Kuala Lumpur, which was earlier in the top spot, ranked as the second-most polluted city globally.

In the Malaysian state of Johor, about 140km (87 miles) northwest of Singapore, some 200 schools, kindergartens and nurseries in the district of Bahu Pahat were ordered to close on Wednesday due to the haze conditions, local media reported.

Dry conditions were forecast for the next few days over most of southern Southeast Asia, keeping the risk of fires and transboundary haze elevated, Singapore’s National Environment Agency said in its latest outlook. Its data also pegs air in all five regions of the city at unhealthy levels.

A spokesperson for Singapore GP Pte Ltd., which organises the F1 race, said on Tuesday that it would work closely with relevant agencies “to assess the situation before making any collective decisions regarding the event” should haze cause visibility, public health or operational issues. An F1 spokesperson said conditions were not at any level of concern.

Swathes of Southeast Asia have been clouded in choking smog in recent weeks as Indonesia battles one of its worst wildfire seasons in years. The uncontrolled blazes stem from the long-running use of slash-and-burn agricultural practices, but fire conditions have been exacerbated by an intensifying El Nino that is parching the landscape.

The number of hotspots last month was the highest since 2015, when a regional haze emergency caused widespread disruptions and diplomatic tensions, according to the Forestry Ministry’s fire-monitoring platform SiPongi.

Environmental group Greenpeace has identified more than 20 palm, pulp and sugar companies, including several with links to Malaysia and Singapore, whose land concessions contained sources of smoke from the fires.

Last week, organisers of the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon cancelled a kids’ race on health concerns, while pressing on with other race categories, including the full and half marathon distances. Still, top finishers of the full marathon clocked times that were slower than recent years. The marathon was cancelled in 2015.