Singapore has expanded its investigation into haze-creating fires in Indonesia that have blanketed the city state in smog, requesting information from 10 locally registered companies.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) sent notices seeking documents and details of land concessions in Indonesia owned by the firms, their firefighting and blaze prevention measures, and their relationship to other relevant companies, according to a Friday statement.
All 10 Singapore-registered companies were involved in the palm oil or forestry sectors and included Wilmar International, Golden Agri International and First Resources, the agency said.
Singapore, Malaysia and other parts of Southeast Asia have experienced some of the worst pollution since 2015 as a result of haze generated by blazes in Indonesia. While fires are typical every year, the issue has been exacerbated in recent months as drought conditions have been worsened by a record El Nino.