Toxic haze from Indonesia spreads to Malaysia, Philippines
What's the story
Toxic haze from forest and land fires in Indonesia has spread to neighboring countries, including the Philippines and Malaysia. The capital, Manila, recorded "unhealthy levels" of PM2.5 pollutant particulate at seven monitoring stations on Wednesday morning. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) linked the haze to transboundary smoke from Kalimantan fires in Indonesia "which may have been transported toward the Philippines by prevailing winds." In Quezon City, all in-person classes have been suspended due to poor air quality.
Regional impact
Haze expected to reach mainland Southeast Asia
The haze is expected to reach mainland Southeast Asia, including southern Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. This prediction comes from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Services (CAMS).
Senior scientist Mark Parrington warned that if fire emissions continue to rise, smoke and air quality impacts could last for weeks.
The fires in Indonesia have released an estimated 46 megatonnes of carbon between August and September, equivalent to emissions from around 45 coal-fired power plants.
Haze spread
Fires in Indonesia have burned over 200,000 hectares
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) confirmed the first cases of transboundary haze in early August when smoke from West Kalimantan reached Malaysia.
Over 200,000 hectares have burned in Indonesia this year due to deliberate land clearing for agriculture amid El Nino conditions.
In Malaysia's Sarawak state, Kuching became the world's most polluted major city with "hazardous levels" of air quality on Wednesday afternoon, according to Swiss-based air quality monitoring company IQAir.
Mitigation efforts
Malaysia plans cloud-seeding operations to induce rainfall
Malaysia plans to launch cloud-seeding operations to induce rainfall in Sarawak between September 3 and 5.
The celebrations for Malaysia Day on September 16 will also be held indoors in Kuching due to poor air quality.
In Brunei Darussalam, the Health Ministry issued a public health advisory as Bandar Seri Begawan recorded "unhealthy levels" of PM2.5 concentration.
Singapore's National Environment Agency has also warned about possible haze entering the city-state soon due to increased hot spots in the region.