Singapore Smog Worst in World as Haze Shuts Malaysia Schools
Article summary:
Haze from Indonesian wildfires pushed Singapore to the world's worst air quality on Wednesday, Oct 7, with readings in the "very unhealthy" range. Kuala Lumpur ranked second.
Spread: Singapore's National Environment Agency puts all five regions of the city at unhealthy levels. About 200 schools and nurseries in Batu Pahat, Johor, closed.
Cause: Slash-and-burn farming, made worse by an intensifying El Niño that is drying out the land. Last month's hotspot count was the highest since 2015.
Blame: Greenpeace named 20+ palm, pulp and sugar companies whose land concessions contained smoke sources. Several have links to Malaysia and Singapore.
Outlook: Dry weather is forecast for the next few days, so the haze risk stays high.
Events: The Singapore F1 organizers say they'll assess conditions before any decision. F1 itself says nothing is at a worrying level yet. A KL marathon last week dropped its kids' race, and top full-marathon times were slower than in recent years.
Source: Mary Hui, Bloomberg, Oct 7, 2026.