Indonesia wildfires push Singapore pollution to yearly high, Timor-Leste shuts schools

Smoke and haze from intensifying wildfires in Indonesia have affected several Southeast Asian countries, pushing air pollution in Singapore to its highest level this year and prompting Timor-Leste to suspend in-person classes for three days.

According to Reuters, the hourly PM2.5 concentration in western Singapore reached 284 micrograms per cubic metre on Wednesday, falling into the country’s ‘very high’ pollution category for the first time during the current haze episode.