Singaporeans woke up to a hazy morning on October 7 as air quality plunged into the unhealthy range due to an influx of forest fires in neighboring Indonesia. The worsening conditions have raised concerns once again about transborder haze, a perennial issue in Southeast Asia, with Indonesia's slash-and-burn land-clearing practices at its core.
Official readings from the Singapore National Environment Agency (NEA) showed that at 2 p.m. (0600 GMT), the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) readings in the eastern and central parts of Singapore exceeded 100. These levels prompted authorities to advise residents to reduce prolonged strenuous outdoor activities to mitigate health risks.
The sudden deterioration in air quality can be attributed to a surge in forest fires on Indonesia's nearby Sumatra island. On October 6, the NEA reported that 212 hot spots were detected in Sumatra, a significant increase from 65 on October 5 and 15 the day before. A temporary shift in wind direction on October 6 afternoon pushed some of the lighter haze toward Singapore, exacerbating the island nation's air quality woes.
The recurring issue of transborder haze in the region is exacerbated by regulatory challenges that make it difficult for authorities to curtail Indonesia's slash-and-burn land-clearing practices. These practices are often employed to clear land for palm oil and pulp and paper plantations, and records indicate that both domestic and foreign or overseas-listed companies own these plantations.
In response to the escalating situation, Indonesia's Environment Minister announced efforts to combat the fires. These measures include dousing forest fires with water sprayed from helicopters and inducing rain through cloud-seeding. However, the Indonesian government denied that hazardous haze was crossing national borders.
This latest episode of haze prompted neighboring Malaysia to urge Indonesia to take decisive action within its borders to address the fires. Malaysia, too, has been grappling with deteriorating air quality as a result of the transborder haze.
In recent years, large-scale forest fires in Indonesia have caused extensive damage, burning millions of hectares of land and sending haze billowing across several Southeast Asian countries. These incidents have also generated record emissions, as noted by scientists.
The most severe haze conditions Singapore experienced were in September 2015 when the 24-hour PSI index exceeded 300, reaching hazardous levels and prompting school closures. With the current spike in forest fires in Sumatra, residents of Singapore are once again hoping for swift and effective measures to combat the recurring haze problem and protect public health.
Follow Daryo's official Instagram and Twitter pages to keep current on world news.
Comments (0)