Singapore Was World's Most Polluted Major City On 7 Oct Amid Haze

Singapore briefly overtook Kuala Lumpur as the world's most polluted major city on 7 Oct 2026, as haze from wildfires in Indonesia continued to affect parts of Southeast Asia.

Singapore briefly overtook Kuala Lumpur as the world's most polluted major city on 7 Oct 2026, as haze from wildfires in Indonesia continued to affect parts of Southeast Asia.

According to IQAir's live World Air Quality Ranking cited by SAYS, Singapore recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 211, placing it in the "Very Unhealthy" category. Kuala Lumpur ranked second with an AQI of 194.

Singapore's National Environment Agency said on 7 Oct that moderate to dense smoke plumes from southern Sumatra were drifting towards Singapore, with smoke haze also observed from hotspots in Kalimantan.

It forecast that the 24-hour PSI could remain in the "Unhealthy" range as dry conditions persist.

NEA also advises healthy individuals to reduce prolonged or strenuous outdoor activity when the 24-hour PSI reaches unhealthy levels.

As of 8 Oct 2026, Kuala Lumpur had once again risen to the top of IQAir's live World Air Quality Ranking, while Singapore was ranked 12th.

Due to worsening haze and deteriorating air quality, Johor became the first state in Peninsular Malaysia to announce statewide school closures during this year's haze season.

All schools in Johor will be closed for two days from 8 Oct, affecting 1,198 schools and more than 617,000 students.

The closure was announced on 7 Oct as a precautionary measure to safeguard students' health and safety, with home-based learning continuing during the closure.

Indonesia has also seen widespread school closures and shifts to remote learning because of smoke from forest and land fires.

News platform Associated Press reported that more than 1.4 million students nationwide had been affected by remote learning due to hazardous air quality by early Sep.

One company that has been linked to fire-affected areas is Sampoerna Agro.

On 10 Sep 2026, Indonesian outlet Inside Pontianak reported on a WALHI Kalimantan Barat analysis of fires recorded between Jan and Aug 2026. The analysis identified about 629 hectares of indicative burned area within the concession of PT Hutan Ketapang Industri (HKI), which is linked to Sampoerna Agro.

However, the findings indicate that the concession was affected by fires and do not establish that the company was responsible for starting them.