South East Asia haze spreads as fires choke millions
Wildfires in Indonesia have sent hazardous haze across the region, obscuring Singapore’s skyline and prompting school closures in Malaysia. Monitoring platform…
Indonesia’s wildfire season has sent hazardous smoke across borders, turning skies amber and disrupting daily life in neighboring countries. The south east asia haze has obscured Singapore’s skyline and forced schools to close in Malaysia, while anger grows over the fires and the response to them.
Independent forest monitoring platform Nusantara Atlas recorded 1,043,377 wildfire hotspots in Indonesia, with fires burning a total of 900,000 hectares. The smoke has exposed millions of people in the region to unhealthy air, according to the BBC.
The annual dry-season fires have been especially intense this year amid an unusually strong El Niño, a natural climate phenomenon that changes weather patterns around the world. In Indonesia, air quality on the islands of Kalimantan and Sumatra reached hazardous levels.
Fires, farmland and enforcement
Many fires start when vegetation is cleared to prepare land, a method known as slash and burn. Indonesian farmers have traditionally used the practice to create nutrient-rich soil for crops, but many current fires are linked to commercial farming on a larger scale, making them harder to control.
Activists and government investigations have repeatedly accused some companies of using fire as a cheap way to clear large areas. Slash-and-burn farming is illegal in Indonesia, though enforcing the ban has long been difficult.
President Prabowo Subianto has called for tougher sanctions against the practice, describing it as “ecological terrorism”. Indonesian authorities said last month they had suspended the operating licences of 26 companies linked to the wildfires and opened investigations into others. Officials said cases involving criminal elements would go to court.
The response matters beyond Indonesia. Smoke has crossed national borders, while school closures in Malaysia and Singapore’s obscured skyline show how fires on Indonesian land can disrupt communities elsewhere. Hazardous air also raises public health concerns for millions exposed to the haze.
Companies named in report deny or contest responsibility
A Greenpeace report published this month identified businesses based in Singapore and Malaysia linked to plots of land in Indonesia where wildfires were burning. It named First Resources, a Singapore-based palm oil company. Greenpeace said more than 30 haze source points were recorded between August and September on land managed by the company’s two Indonesian subsidiaries.
First Resources told the BBC it maintained a “strict zero burning policy across all planting activities and implements robust fire prevention, monitoring and firefighting measures throughout our operations”.
Greenpeace also named Malaysian plantation group Kuala Lumpur Kepong. Its subsidiary PT Menteng Jaya Sawit Perdana managed land where 19 haze source points were recorded, according to the report.
Kuala Lumpur Kepong said a “majority” of the fires originated beyond its concession area and had all been extinguished. The company said: “We do not condone or permit the use of open burning for land preparation or any other purpose across our operations.”
Regional action has faced political obstacles before. Singapore passed the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act in 2014, allowing action against local and foreign firms found to contribute to haze. The following year, authorities issued summonses to several Indonesian companies suspected of clearing land by burning.
That move drew sharp criticism from Jakarta, which said it harmed bilateral ties. The BBC report said Singaporean authorities could not obtain information because Indonesia refused to cooperate.
As Indonesian authorities pursue new investigations, Nusantara Atlas’s latest reported tally stands at 1,043,377 wildfire hotspots.
Source: bbc.com
