Singapore 'smog'

[Coast]

 

Singapore smog 'could last for weeks'

 

At 13:00 local time (05:00 GMT) Singapore's pollution standards index reached 371, breaking all previous records and reaching hazardous levels. The haze is caused by illegal forest fires in Indonesia's Sumatra island.

 

The issue has sparked accusations between the two neighbours over who is responsible for the smog. Environment officials from the two nations are holding an emergency meeting in Jakarta today. Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore's Environment and Water Resources Minister, wrote on his Facebook wall that he would demand "definitive action" from Jakarta. "No country or corporation has the right to pollute the air at the expense of Singaporeans' health and wellbeing," he said. However, Indonesian Minister for People's Welfare Agung Laksono said that Singapore was "behaving like a child". "This is not what the Indonesian nation wants, it is because of nature," he said.

 

'Cloud seeding'

 

Since the haze arrived, Singapore's buildings have been obscured by the polluted air and the smell of burnt wood has permeated the city-state.A PSI reading above 200 indicates "very unhealthy" air, while a PSI score above 300 is "hazardous".The haze blew into Singapore late last week and pollution levels started to soar on Monday. Skyscrapers disappeared into a dense white gloom and a smell of burning enveloped the city. On Thursday, as haze levels hit a new record peak, visibility was even further reduced. From our office downtown, we cannot make out the shoreline less than a kilometre away. At the port, big container ships emerge ghost-like out of the haze to berth.

 

People are complaining of dry throats, itchy eyes and a bad taste in their mouths. Laundry hung outside to dry smells like it was left next to a bonfire. Joggers have disappeared from the waterfront routes and outdoor restaurants appear emptier. Children and the elderly are being advised to stay indoors until conditions improve - but it is not clear how soon that will be.At a press conference, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the haze could "easily last for several weeks and quite possibly longer until the dry season ends in Sumatra".Mr Lee asked Singaporeans to "stay indoors where possible and avoid heavy outdoor activities". He has also announced that the Singaporean government will hold daily press conferences on the haze situation.

 

Air traffic controllers in Singapore have been told to work with extra caution given the poor visibility, while McDonald's has temporarily cancelled its delivery service. The Singaporean military has also reportedly suspended all outdoor training. The poor air quality has prompted widespread buying of disposable face masks, leading shops to run out of stock. Parts of Malaysia have also recorded "hazardous" pollution levels, with over 200 schools in the country's south ordered to shut.

 

Malaysia's Department of Environment has also banned open burning in some states.

 

Transboundary pollution

 

Indonesia's forestry ministry said it intended to use cloud seeding to try to induce rain on Sumatra, AFP news agency reported. The fires are started to clear land for plantations and generate smoke, particularly in the dry season. Indonesian officials have suggested that foreign palm oil investors, including Singaporean companies, may bear some responsibility for the fires. However, several major Singapore-based palm oil companies have denied any involvement. Singapore's prime minister said the city-state had provided satellite data to Indonesia to help identify who was responsible for the fires. He added that if any Singaporean companies, or companies with a presence in Singapore played a part in the fires, they would be held responsible.

 

In 1997 and 1998, many countries in the region were affected by the South East Asian haze, which was caused by smog from Indonesian fires. Road and air traffic was disrupted, and reports said the smog made around 20 million people ill. The haze led to an agreement on transboundary haze pollution being approved by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in 2002. However, Indonesia has yet to ratify the agreement

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22982018

 

 

 

[Jo Farrow]

Just written a bit on the wesbsite http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=news;storyid=5249;sess=

[Coast]

Just written a bit on the wesbsite http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=news;storyid=5249;sess=

 

Thanks Jo, great read!

[nitro_deluxe]

Think i'll stick to Singapore slings! Indeed did see earlier news reports, a right pea-souper.

[Coast]

 

Indonesia sends choppers to fight fires choking Singapore

 

JAKARTA: Indonesia on Friday dispatched helicopters to create artificial rain in a desperate bid to fight raging fires that have choked Singapore, as smog cloaking the city-state hit record-breaking levels that pose a threat to people's lives.At a late-night emergency meeting, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered disaster officials to "immediately mobilise all the country's resources" to extinguish the fires on Sumatra island that have created vast palls of smoke.

 

Singapore's worst environmental crisis in more than a decade has seen the acrid smoke creep into people's flats and cloak residential blocks as well as downtown skyscrapers, and the island's prime minister has warned it could last weeks.Indonesia's national disaster agency said that two helicopters with cloud-seeding equipment were sent early on Friday from Jakarta and Borneo island to Riau province, where hundreds of hectares (acres) of carbon-rich peatland are ablaze. "Hopefully, we will be able to create artificial rain today," said agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho. He also said water-bombing helicopters could be dispatched, although gave no timeframe. Firefighters on the ground have struggled to put out the blazes, which are burning under the surface of the peat.

 

As Indonesia stepped up its fire-fighting efforts, Singapore's smog index hit the critical 400 level, making it potentially life-threatening to the ill and elderly people, according to a government monitoring site. The all-time record level was reached at 11:00am (0300 GMT) on Friday after a rapid rise in the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI). According to Singapore government guidelines, sustained PSI average levels above 400 on a 24-hour basis "may be life-threatening to ill and elderly persons".

 

Before the latest crisis which erupted on Monday, the previous Singapore air pollutant index high was 226, recorded in September 1997 at the height of a Southeast Asian calamity. That episode also resulted from vast amounts of haze from Indonesia, where slash-and-burn farming generates heavy smoke during the dry season that begins in June. Parts of Malaysia close to Singapore have also been severely affected by the smog this week.

 

The haze crisis has had a dramatic impact on life in Singapore, with the city-state's residents scaling back their activities in a bid to protect themselves. Fast-food deliveries have been cancelled, the army has suspended field training and even Singapore's top marathon runner has been forced to run indoors. Hunched commuters are wearing masks or cover their mouths as they travel to and from home, with major drug stores telling they have temporarily run out of masks and refusing to accept advance orders. Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore's minister for the environment and water resources, who has demanded "definitive action" from Indonesia to stop the haze, was due to meet his Indonesian counterpart in Jakarta later Friday.

 

The haze crisis has caused tensions to escalate dramatically between tiny Singapore and its vast neighbour, with the city-state repeatedly demanding that Jakarta step up its efforts to put out the fires. However, Indonesian officials have become irate at the demands, and on Thursday the minister coordinating Jakarta's response to the crisis accused Singapore of acting "like a child".

 

 

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Indonesia-sends-choppers-to-fight-fires-choking-Singapore/articleshow/20694956.cms