Singapore expands haze notices to 10 companies, signals financing and legislative measures

Key Facts

Singapore expanded its response to transboundary haze by adding 3 companies in Indonesia to its environmental notice list on 19 October 2026, bringing the total covered to 10, according to the environment agency and The Business Times. The agency said the additional companies operate in Kalimantan, where there were indications that smoke from fires on their concessions could reach Singapore. The expansion coincided with a warning from Minister Shanmugam that scrutiny would extend to major groups and the people controlling them. Pressure tools under government consideration include companies' access to financing and their standing with investors, according to the newspaper. Some air quality monitoring stations in Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia recorded unhealthy levels, according to an agency update on the morning the report was published.

As part of regulatory inquiries, the Singapore Exchange sought information from listed companies about their operations and potential links to the haze, according to the official transcript of Shanmugam's remarks published on 19 October. The list included Golden Agri-Resources, Bumitama Agri, First Resources, Wilmar, Kencana Agri, Indofood Agri and TSH Resources, according to The Business Times. The exchange's request concerns information about these companies' activities and their potential links to haze pollution. Shanmugam said government scrutiny would extend beyond direct land concession holders to the major groups behind the operations concerned. He added that the people controlling those groups would also come under scrutiny, according to the transcript published by Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs.

Requests for clarification also extended to lending banks, which sought answers from companies on haze-related matters, according to Shanmugam. The minister said banks must assess environmental and legal risks under the supervision of the Monetary Authority of Singapore. In his remarks, he described the subject of this assessment as "risks arising from environmental and legal issues", placing lending activity within the government's response to the crisis. According to The Business Times, tools under government consideration include potentially using companies' access to financing to put pressure on them. They also include companies' standing with investors, as part of an effort addressing their relationships with funding providers and the market alongside scrutiny of their operations and the people controlling them.

On public support, Shanmugam said the government would review the eligibility of haze-linked companies for Singaporean grants and incentives. He said access to these programmes was conditional on lawful and responsible conduct, according to the official transcript published by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The review thus covers companies' relationship with Singapore's support programmes, alongside requests for clarification from financial and regulatory bodies. On corporate cooperation, the minister said the government could move urgently to amend the legislative framework if necessary. He added that it could "amend existing legislation or introduce new laws" to ensure cooperation with government measures when legislative intervention is needed.

The preventive notices issued by the environment agency require companies to deploy firefighting teams to extinguish fires or prevent their spread on concession land. The requirements include halting burning activities and submitting plans to extinguish fires and prevent their recurrence, according to the agency. The addition of companies operating in Kalimantan was based on indications that smoke from fires on their land could reach Singapore. The transboundary haze legislation has a penalty framework that the minister outlined during the parliamentary debate on its introduction on 5 August 2014. In those remarks, preserved by Singapore's National Archives, he said the penalty formula was "S$100000 per day", with an overall penalty cap of "S$2 million".

For the following days, the environment agency forecast continued elevated hotspot activity and smoke, particularly in areas experiencing prolonged dry conditions. In its regional update, it said hotspot and haze levels were likely to remain elevated during that period. Further out, the minister for sustainability and the environment forecast an improvement in conditions in late October or early November, according to The Business Times. The minister linked the expected improvement to changing wind directions during the inter-monsoon period. The weather forecasts thus point to continued smoke activity in the near term, while the minister's projected improvement is centred on late October or early November.