S’pore will work with ASEAN members to establish haze centre, tackle root causes of haze: Grace Fu

Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said Singapore plans to ratify the agreement in the next few days, and “will strongly encourage other ASEAN member states to do so.”

Published Nov 03, 2026, 12:51 PM

Updated Nov 03, 2026, 12:54 PM

SINGAPORE - Singapore will during its 2027 ASEAN chairmanship work toward establishing a region-wide coordinating centre for transboundary haze pollution control, said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu on Nov 3.

This centre, which will be based in Indonesia, will strengthen cooperation and coordination in managing land and forest fires and transboundary haze, she said in Parliament.

Singapore will also work with other countries in the region to enhance the implementation of initiatives that tackle the root causes of haze, such as sustainable land and peatland management, and guidelines on crop burning, added Fu.

Fu was responding to questions from several MPs, including Hazlina Abdul Halim (East Coast GRC) and Hany Soh (Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC), on how transboundary haze was being tackled at the ASEAN level.

Such a centre, when established, will join other regional efforts to tackle the recurring pollution.

For instance, Singapore has been hosting a monitoring facility called the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre since 1993, which tracks hotspots in the region and provides early warning and alerts on haze.

The minister noted that the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution is the key framework for ASEAN Member States to work collectively to prevent, monitor and mitigate land and forest fires and the resultant haze.

This legally-binding agreement was signed in 2002 and in force since 2003. It commits members to preventing, monitoring and mitigating cross-border pollution.

Indonesia ratified the legally binding agreement in 2014.

The regional haze centre, called t he ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control, is a key component of the agreement. But it needs six ASEAN member states to ratify an establishment agreement before it can be implemented.

Fu said Singapore plans to ratify the agreement in the next few days, and “will strongly encourage other ASEAN member states to do so.”

The centre also aims to facilitate cross-border exchanges of firefighting technology, expertise and resources, and to manage requests and activate regional emergency assistance, according to the agreement published on the ASEAN website.

The root cause of the haze blanketing Singapore and the region in September and October is the fires raging on forest and plantation land in Indonesia .

Most blazes are sparked by slash-and-burn agriculture practices, where farmers use fire to clear land.

Noting that some nations in the bloc indicated they will be raising the transboundary haze issue at upcoming ASEAN meetings, Fu said: “Singapore will support these discussions, and share how Singapore intends to act against companies responsible for the haze.”

A few MPs also asked for updates on Singapore’s offer for assistance during the haze crisis in October.

On Oct 16, Fu had communicated with her Indonesian counterpart, Environment Minister Jumhur Hidayat, to offer civilian assistance to support firefighting efforts as well as cloud seeding .

On Oct 19, Indonesia informed Singapore that it was able to handle the situation and did not require foreign assistance, said Fu.

She added: “Singapore respects Indonesia’s sovereignty and its assessment of its needs, including whether the establishment of a joint regional firefighting task force would be helpful.”

Singapore Parliament

新加坡永续发展及环境部长傅海燕表示，新加坡计划在未来几天内批准该协议，“并将强烈鼓励其他东盟成员国也这样做”。

发布于 2026 年 11 月 3 日下午 12:51

更新于2026年11月3日下午12:54

新加坡——新加坡永续发展与环境部长傅海燕于11月3日表示，新加坡将在2027年担任东盟轮值主席国期间，努力建立一个区域性的跨境雾霾污染控制协调中心。

她在国会表示，该中心将设在印度尼西亚，将加强在管理土地和森林火灾以及跨境烟霾方面的合作与协调。

傅先生补充说，新加坡还将与该地区其他国家合作，加强落实解决雾霾根源问题的各项举措，例如可持续的土地和泥炭地管理，以及作物焚烧指南。

傅海燕是在回答包括东海岸集选区议员哈兹丽娜·阿卜杜勒·哈利姆和马西岭-油池集选区议员苏汉妮在内的几位国会议员提出的问题时做出上述表态的，这些问题是关于东盟层面如何应对跨境烟霾问题。

这样的中心一旦建成，将与其他区域性组织一起努力解决反复出现的污染问题。

例如，新加坡自 1993 年以来一直设有一个名为东盟专业气象中心的监测设施，该设施跟踪该地区的热点地区，并提供有关雾霾的早期预警和警报。

部长指出，《东盟跨境烟霾污染协定》是东盟成员国共同努力预防、监测和减轻土地和森林火灾及其造成的烟霾的关键框架。

这项具有法律约束力的协议于 2002 年签署，并于 2003 年生效。它要求成员国致力于预防、监测和减轻跨境污染。

印度尼西亚于 2014 年批准了这项具有法律约束力的协议。

该区域雾霾控制中心，即东盟跨境雾霾污染控制协调中心，是该协议的关键组成部分。但它需要六个东盟成员国批准一项建立协议才能实施。

傅先生表示，新加坡计划在未来几天内批准该协议，“并将强烈鼓励其他东盟成员国也这样做”。

根据东盟网站上公布的协议，该中心还旨在促进消防技术、专业知识和资源的跨境交流，并管理请求和启动区域紧急援助。

9月和10月笼罩新加坡及周边地区的雾霾的根本原因是印度尼西亚森林和种植园的火灾。

大多数火灾都是由刀耕火种的农业耕作方式引起的，农民用火来清理土地。

傅先生指出，一些东盟国家表示将在即将召开的东盟会议上提出跨境雾霾问题，并表示：“新加坡将支持这些讨论，并分享新加坡打算如何对造成雾霾的公司采取行动。”

一些国会议员还询问了新加坡在10月份雾霾危机期间提供的援助的最新进展。

10月16日，傅海燕与印尼环境部长朱姆胡尔·希达亚特联系，表示愿意提供民间援助，支持灭火工作和人工增雨。

傅先生说，10月19日，印尼方面通知新加坡，印尼有能力处理当前局势，不需要外国援助。

她补充说：“新加坡尊重印尼的主权及其对自身需求的评估，包括成立联合区域消防特遣队是否有帮助。”

新加坡国会