2006 Southeast Asian hazeFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThe 2006 Southeast Asian haze was caused by continued open uncontrolled burning and slash and burn activities in Indonesia, and has affected several countries in the Southeast Asian region and beyond, such as Malaysia, Singapore, southern Thailand, and as far as Saipan. Local sources of pollution do partly contribute to the increased toxicity, particularly in high-pollution areas such as ports, oil refineries, and dense urban areas. In the highly urbanised and industrialised Klang Valley of Malaysia in particular, the surrounding terrain acts as a natural retainer of polluted air, aggravating the situation when the haze sets in. The Klang Valley area includes the financial hub of Kuala Lumpur, the city of Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam and various other districts and mukims.
Satellite photograph of the haze above BorneoIndonesiaThe fires originate mostly in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo, and on Sumatra, where they are set annually by farmers to clear land ahead of the growing season. Satellite images taken over Borneo on October 4 showed 561 "hot spots" indicating areas where fires had been set.
Officials in neighboring countries accuse Indonesian officials of doing nothing to stop the fires, though forestry ministry officials said they had firefighters working to douse the blazes on state-controlled land. However, they conceded, most of the fires were on private land.
The fires have closed schools, delayed and cancelled airline flights, disrupted shipping and forced Indonesians to don face masks. Cities affected include Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan and Pekanbaru, Riau. The haze was blamed for a Mandala Airlines flight skidding off the runway upon landing at Balikpapan, East Kalimantan on October 3, when visibility was reported at around 400 meters. It has caused breathing problems for people in the Riau Islands and in Jambi Province.
MalaysiaMenara Kuala Lumpur was barely visible.The effects of the haze started in early July and affected the northern Malaysian states severely. However, the haze had cleared substantially throughout Peninsular Malaysia from August 29, 2006 due to raining season. The rain reduced the number of hotspots throughout Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. On the August 30, 2006, The Star reported that Kuala Lumpur would be free of haze during the Merdeka Day. In the late evening just before midnight on the August 31, 2006, visibility in the Klang Valley was recorded to be very good.
The business district of Kuala Lumpur in the evening of September 29, 2006. Menara Kuala Lumpur was barely visible.Unfortunately, the haze returned again in late September. This was due to a change of wind direction towards the south west partially caused by Typhoon Xangsane. The worst hit place was Kuching, where the Air Pollution Index (API) nearly reached 300, which borders the hazardous category of the API. The worst affected area in Peninsular Malaysia is Johor Bahru which recorded an API of 150 on October 7 and October 8. For now, many people are wearing masks to prevent themselves from inhaling excessive amounts of haze. On October 7, visibility in parts of East Malaysia fell to 300 metres. On or about October 9, the worst of the haze seemed to be in the state of Negeri Sembilan, where visibility in Sepang fell briefly to 500 metres and the API in Nilai reached 198. Shortly thereafter changing winds caused conditions to improve rapidly. Sarawak has started cloud seeding attempts to try to encourage rainfall that will help relieve the haze.
SingaporeSingapore was largely spared from the haze, recording PSI at moderate levels until 8 a.m., October 7, 2006, when the 3-hour PSI reading breached the 100 mark and entered unhealthy levels for the first time in the year. At 10 a.m., it hit 130, the highest in three years, before subsiding to 80 at 4 p.m. and climbing rapidly to 150 at 9 p.m, before ending the day at 136, the worst since 1997. The highest 3-hour average PSI ever recorded was 226 in September 1997.
ThailandIn July, the southern Thai provinces of Pattani and Satun suffered an on and off bout of smog, with the levels of pollutants in Satun being high enough to constitute a health hazard. In all, seven provinces were affected by the haze in July and August.
Haze was again reported on October 6, with respiratory illnesses and eye irritation reported in Narathiwat. Visibility and air quality were also affected in Songkhla, Satun and Yala. Health warnings were issued and surgical masks were issued to residents. Three days later, meteorological officials reported that the haze had thinned to almost normal visibility.
NASA MODIS imagery of firesClick for bigger imageFires on Borneo, especially Kalimantan, and the haze caused. Image captured October 5, 2006 by the Terra MODIS satellite.Fires on Sumatra and the resulting haze. Image captured October 4, 2006 by the Aqua MODIS satellite.An image captured on October 1, 2006 by the Aqua MODIS satellite that shows the extent of the fires and resulting haze.