As Haze Intensifies, ASEAN Announces Highest Alert Status

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia — Fires continue to burn in Indonesia, blanketing parts of Southeast Asia in toxic haze and prompting the region’s weather and fire monitoring body to issue its highest warning.

The ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) has activated Level 3 alert status for southern ASEAN. The information was posted on the ASMC’s official website on Saturday (17 October 2026).

The ASMC, based near Singapore’s Changi Airport, operates a four-tier warning system, from Level 0 to Level 3. The highest status is issued when there is a significant risk of severe transboundary haze in the region.

The decision takes account of several indicators, including significant and continuing fire hotspots, as well as moderate to dense haze covering a wide area for at least two consecutive days.

Prolonged dry weather and persistent winds carrying smoke towards other ASEAN countries are also determining factors.

The warning was issued on Friday. However, similar alerts had already been issued twice this year, on 26 August and 27 March.

The haze, which has persisted for months, has disrupted people’s daily lives in various parts of Southeast Asia. Some schools have been forced to close, while reports of respiratory problems have increased.

AFP reported that Singapore on Friday also announced plans to send warnings to seven companies operating in Indonesia. The companies were identified as being linked to fires that have fuelled the haze.

The Singaporean government has nevertheless warned that the worst effects of the haze may still lie ahead.