Indonesia: Illegal Burning Spreads Haze over Region

By Larry Habegger | Permalink | 1 comment | October 3rd, 2006 | Trackback

Dry season burning of brush on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo has caused smoke and haze to spread over both islands and nearby Singapore, reducing visibility, damaging air quality and delaying flights in Palangkaraya, Kalimantan on the Indonesian side of Borneo. The haze was affecting some 215,000 square miles of land. Air quality had gone from “unhealthy” to “dangerous” in Palangkaraya, and was “moderate” in Singapore. Seven monitoring stations on the Malaysian side of Borneo reported “unhealthy” air quality. The haze has persisted for more than a week and will diminish when rain comes. The fires are usually caused by landowners burning brush to clear fields. Authorities have vowed to crack down on the illegal practice, but seldom is any action taken.

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