SINGAPORE — Singapore has issued preventive notices to seven companies with land concessions in Indonesia as authorities investigate fires believed to have contributed to the transboundary haze affecting the city-state.
Singapore’s National Environment Agency, or NEA, said satellite imagery, meteorological data and smoke-plume analysis indicated that smoke from fires on concession land linked to the seven companies could have travelled toward Singapore.
The companies named by NEA are PT Bumi Andalas Permai, PT Bumi Mekar Hijau, PT Paramitra Mulia Langgeng, PT Sumatera Alam Anugerah, PT SBA Wood Industries, PT Hutan Lestari Raya and PT Bangkanesia.
The notices were issued under Singapore’s Transboundary Haze Pollution Act and require the companies to deploy personnel to extinguish or prevent the spread of fires on land they own or occupy.
They were also instructed to stop or avoid any burning activities and submit action plans explaining how fires would be extinguished and prevented from recurring.
Singapore’s Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said the action followed investigations into fires linked to the worsening haze.
NEA said it remains prepared to take enforcement action against companies found responsible for causing transboundary haze in Singapore.
The move comes as smoke from widespread forest and peatland fires in Indonesia continues to affect parts of Southeast Asia.
Singapore has experienced deteriorating air quality during the latest haze episode, while other countries in the region have also reported pollution linked to smoke drifting from fires in Indonesia.
The ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre has activated Alert Level 3 for the southern ASEAN region, its highest regional haze alert, as persistent fires and smoke continue to affect air quality across borders.
Indonesia is facing one of its most severe fire seasons in years, with major fires reported across Sumatra and Kalimantan. The government has deployed tens of thousands of personnel and aircraft to fight the fires and carry out weather-modification operations.
Indonesia has also said it is prepared to accept foreign assistance as regional concern over the haze intensifies.
The Singapore notices do not in themselves establish criminal liability, and responsibility for individual fires remains subject to investigation and enforcement procedures.
Singapore introduced the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act in 2014, allowing authorities to take action against entities whose conduct outside Singapore contributes to haze pollution affecting the country.
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