Pollution levels in Singapore caused by forest fires in Indonesia are continuing to reach new record highs. The Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) hit 401 on Friday, the highest ever recorded in Singapore. The previous high was in 1997 when the PSI reached 226. A PSI of 150 is deemed to be "unhealthy", while anything above 300 is defined as "hazardous". Singapore's government said a reading above 400 sustained for 24 hours "may be life-threatening to ill and elderly persons". It has advised all of its citizens to stay indoors and to wear face masks if they have to go outside. Authorities will distribute one million masks free to the poorest 200,000 households starting from Sunday.

The haze has strained relations between Singapore and Indonesia over who is responsible for the choking smog. Singapore has accused Indonesia of recklessness and irresponsibility in letting fires get so out of control. Indonesia responded by calling Singapore hypocritical, as many of its companies own plantations where fires are being set to clear forests for cultivation. Indonesia's Foreign Ministry would not apologise for the haze crisis, but insisted that everything was being done to tackle the problem. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said "all the country's resources" would be mobilised to extinguish the fires. Singapore's Prime Minister warned that the haze could last until the end of the dry season in October.