The Prime Minister of Singapore issued a warning that the thick blanket of grey haze sitting in Singapore's air since Monday could continue choking the area for weeks.
On Thursday, the pollution standards index spiked to 371-far more than a level deemed "very unhealthy" at 200 and still higher than a PSI score of 300, which is considered "hazardous," according to the BBC.
The heavy, stagnant clouds of pollution came from forest fires raging on nearby Sumatra Island.
BBC correspondent Philippa Fogarty reported on-the-ground from Singapore that various buildings around the city have practically disappeared into the soupy, grey skies.
Visibility has been drastically reduced.
"From our office downtown, we cannot make out the shoreline less than a kilometer away," Fogarty said. "At the port, big container ships emerge ghost-like out of the haze to berth."
Many citizens have experienced itchy eyes, dry-as-desert throats and terrible, bitter tastes in their mouths from the smog.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak advised all to reduce outdoor activity and drink extra amounts of water for the time being.
Government officials from Indonesia and Singapore will meet in Jakarta on Thursday for an emergency conference on the near-dire air quality.
The two nations are now blaming each other for the fires and smog.
Singapore's Environment and Water Resources Minister Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan wrote on his Facebook that he would make a point to call for "definitive action" on Jakarta's part.
"No country or corporation has the right to pollute the air at the expense of Singaporeans' health and wellbeing," he said.
But Indonesian Minister for People's Welfare Agung Laksono claimed that Singapore wasn't acting maturely, calling their behavior "like a child's."
"This is not what the Indonesian nation wants, it is because of nature," Laksono said.
Some said that farmers must be brought up to speed on alternatives to slash-and-burn agriculture, which could have contributed to the harsh smoke.
Others claimed that Singaporean and Indonesian oil companies were to blame, as well as Indonesian plantation industry companies.
Malaysia has also been affected by the quickly-spreading cloud of smoke.
In a southern area that borders Singapore, 200 schools were ordered to close until at least Friday due to the smoke hanging in the air.
News outlet Utusan Melayu wrote an op-ed this week, saying that the situation has sparked an old argument between the two countries.
"Co-operation between neighboring countries has to be more vigorous. It is meaningless to be able to control open burning in one country if it is widespread in another," Utusan Melayu wrote. "The strengthening of relevant law is also very necessary so we don't have to keep breathing in a hazy space in years to come."
