Singapore Raises Haze Pollution Fines to 20 Million Dollars

The Government of Singapore introduced the Transboundary Haze Pollution (Amendment) Bill on November 4, 2026, significantly increasing penalties for entities responsible for regional haze. The legislation raises the maximum fine for the main offense tenfold to 20 million Singapore dollars and increases maximum daily fines from 100,000 to 1 million Singapore dollars. These measures follow a severe haze episode between September 4 and October 25, the worst since 2015, which disrupted public health and business.

Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu announced that the amendments aim to prevent overseas entities from avoiding accountability. The bill makes all haze-related offenses arrestable within Singapore, allows trials to proceed in the absence of the accused, and permits the electronic service of legal documents. The government can now intervene when there is a "credible risk of haze" before pollution enters the country and may restrict businesses from dealing with suspected polluters.

To improve investigations, the National Environment Agency can now require suspected entities to fund independent private-sector assessors. The government also introduced a civil penalty framework with a maximum penalty of 10 million Singapore dollars. These domestic efforts coincide with a joint task force between Singapore and Indonesia to investigate firms linked to forest fires, while the Monetary Authority of Singapore has warned banks to restrict financial support for companies breaching environmental laws.