The air quality in Singapore and parts of Malaysia has worsened, reducing
visibility and disrupting flights in East Malaysia as the smoke haze from forest
fires in the region thickened.
The air pollutant index reached ``unhealthy'' levels in Sabah and Sarawak
states, located on the Malaysian part of Borneo island, exceeding 100 in eight
towns as of 11 a.m. this morning, the department of environment said on its Web
site. An index reading of 101 to 200 is considered unhealthy.
The haze from fires in Indonesia obscured the sunlight, lowered temperatures and
reduced visibility in Singapore, the National Environment Agency said in a
statement late yesterday. Air quality in the island-nation yesterday was the
worst recorded this year, the agency said.
Smoke from forest fires in Malaysia and Indonesia cloud the region annually
during the dry season from around July to October as farmers clear land for
cultivation by setting fire to trees and bushes. The worst occurred in 1997 and
1998, causing economic losses of almost $9 billion in Southeast Asia as
travelers shunned the region and health-care costs increased.
The haze has covered about 556,000 square kilometers of land in Sumatra and
Kalimantan in Indonesia, delaying flights and forcing people to don masks, the
Jakarta Post reported on its Web site today. The government has banned the
practice of clearing land by burning brush, although it has largely failed to
enforce this measure, the report said.
Plane Skidded
A Mandala Airlines Boeing 737-200 skidded and slid into a swamp about 50 meters
off the runway at an airport in Kalimantan after attempting to land amid the
thick haze, which cut visibility to 400 meters (1,312 feet), Agence France-Presse
reported. The plane was carrying 110 people and no one was injured in the
incident this morning, the report cited Nafiq, an airport official, as saying.
Dry weather in the southern parts of Sumatra is expected to last until
mid-October, bringing the haze to Singapore, the island-nation's environment
agency said.
Satellite pictures recorded 302 hotspots in Indonesia's Sumatra island
yesterday, 283 hotspots in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo, and five
in the Malaysian peninsula, according to the Malaysian Meteorological Services
department Web site.
Reduced Visibility
The department issued a statement last night warning that visibility was less
than 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) in the coastal waters of Sarawak and Sabah.
The reduced visibility ``due to haze is expected to continue until Thursday,
Oct. 5,'' the department said. ``This situation is hazardous to ships without
navigational equipment.''
Low visibility in Kuching, Sarawak's state capital, caused some flights to be
delayed, canceled or diverted, the Star newspaper reported yesterday.
Visibility fell to less than 1 kilometer in Kuching and Sibu this morning in
Sarawak, the lowest in the country, the meteorological department said on its
Web site.
The Sarawak state government plans to conduct cloud seeding as the weather is
expected to remain dry for another 10 days, the Star newspaper reported today,
citing Deputy Chief Minister George Chan Hong Nam. Cloud seeding is aimed at
trying to cause rain to cleanse the atmosphere.
Respiratory Ailments
The haze has resulted in an increase in the number of people suffering from
respiratory ailments such as asthma in the state's worst-hit areas, and schools
have been told to reduce outdoor activities, the report cited Chan as saying.
Malaysia declared a state of alert a year ago in Port Klang and Kuala Selangor
in central Selangor state, shutting schools and shops and disrupting port
activities, when the smoke haze reduced visibility and threatened public health.
Malaysia's air quality index ranged from 19 in Perlis state in northern
Peninsular Malaysia to 196 in Sarikei, Sarawak, at 11 a.m. local time. The
reading in Kuching was 124. Seven towns in Sarawak recorded ``unhealthy'' air
quality, together with Tawau in neighboring Sabah state.
A reading of 51 to 100 is considered moderate. Air quality of 201 to 300 is
deemed very unhealthy and readings exceeding 301 are deemed ``hazardous.''