31 Aug, 2016

As Air Quality Decreases In Singapore, Indonesia Increases Response to Burning Forest Fires

Others | SINGAPORE | 30 Aug, 2016
Published by : Eco Media Asia

A spate of forest fires burning throughout Indonesia has prompted six provinces to declare a state of emergency as smoke from the blazes blankets nearby Singapore.

According to the Associated Press, several fires detected in Sumatra and Borneo by weather satellites has led to very poor air quality in Singapore as smoke from the fires blew into the city-state and on into southern Malaysia on Friday.

Although this year is not as grim as last — when massive fires in Indonesia caused a regional crisis — Singapore's three-hour air pollution index was at 157 by late afternoon on Friday, after peaking at 215. Its environment agency doesn't give a health warning with the limited duration index, but on a 24-hour basis, it says levels above 100 are unhealthy and above 200 very unhealthy.

"The smell of smoke woke me up. I thought something was burning outside," said Singaporean copywriter Lim Jia Ying, who put on a mask for her commute to work. "I'm having a cough and it's getting worse. Luckily, I found a face mask at home," she said.

Indonesia's Disaster Mitigation Agency said six provinces which have a combined population of more than 23 million people have declared emergencies, allowing firefighting measures to go into full effect including aerial water drops.

This NOAA satellite image shows smoke from several fires burning in Indonesia wafting from left to right into the Malaysian peninsula and Singapore at the tip, where poor air quality indices are spiking. (NOAA)

The haze is an annual problem for Southeast Asia, but last year's fires were the worst since 1997, straining relations between Indonesia and its neighbors. About 261,000 hectares (644,931 acres) burned, causing billions of dollars in economic losses for Indonesia.

Many of the fires are deliberately set by agricultural conglomerates and small-time farmers to clear forests and peatland for plantations.

National police chief Tito Karnavian said Friday that 85 people have been arrested this year for starting fires.

About 2,800 hectares (6,918 acres) have burned so far this year, according to Indonesia's Forestry Ministry.

Separately, Indonesia's Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by a palm oil company PT Kallista Alam that was ordered to pay compensation of 366 billion rupiah ($28 million) for burning peatlands, according to a decision published this month on the court's website.

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Main image : 
Indonesian police and Indonesian military troops try to extinguish a fire at a vast burning peat land forest in the Rimbo Panjang village, Kampar district of Riau Province, Indonesia on 28 Aug. 28, 2016. (Photo by Afrianto Silalahi/NurPhoto/Sipa via AP Images)

Article from weather.com