S'pore to help establish regional haze control centre in Indonesia as 2027 Asean chair - Mothership

It will be used for coordinating the management of land and forest fires and transboundary haze.

As Singapore takes on the Asean chairmanship in 2027, it will work with other member states to establish a haze control centre in Indonesia, said environment minister Grace Fu in parliament on Nov. 3.

The centre, which will be named the Asean Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control (ACCTHPC), will be responsible for coordinating the management of land and forest fires and transboundary haze.

It will only come into effect after six Asean member states have ratified the establishment agreement of the centre.

Singapore will submit its ratification "in the next few days", said Fu, who also encouraged other Asean member states to do so.

She added that the centre's implementation will be part of efforts to strengthen the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP).

The AATHP is the key framework for Asean member states to work collectively in preventing, monitoring and mitigating land and forest fires and the resultant haze.

Singapore has also hosted the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) since 1993, which has provided member states with regional weather, climate and haze assessments and information, as well as advised on regional alert levels.

By using this system, Singapore acted ahead of the 2026 dry season, said Fu.

It also warned member states to step up vigilance and strengthen regional cooperation ahead of time.

"Where preventive measures fail, Singapore stands ready to assist Indonesia where needed and welcomed," she said, reaffirming Singapore's agreement with Indonesia on environmental cooperation signed in June 2026.

Aid includes support for Indonesia's firefighters and operational support for cloud seeding.

As Indonesia said it was able to handle the situation and not require foreign assistance on Oct. 19, Singapore respects its sovereignty, Fu said.

But beyond that, she added that Singapore will also work with member states to enhance the implementation of other Asean sectoral initiatives to tackle the root causes of transboundary haze.

Initiatives include sustainable land and peatland management, and guidelines on crop burning, said Fu.

Earlier in her speech, Fu explained to the House that human activities are the primary sources of peatland and forest fires.

She said that healthy peatlands are wet ecosystems that do not burn spontaneously, but human activities such as draining of peatlands and slashing and burning practices can cause the fires.

The El Nino conditions in 2026 also caused a longer dry season in the region, making fires easier to start and become more intense.