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Haze Problem

Persons with existing heart or respiratory ailments should reduce physical exertion and outdoor activity.The general population should reduce vigorous outdoor activity. For more information on the health advisories associated with the different air quality categories, please click here.

3-hr PSI Readings ( 17 Oct 2006 ) Time 6 am 7 am 8 am 9 am 10 am 11 am 12 pm 1 pm 2 pm 3 pm 4 pm 5 pm 6 pm 7 pm 8 pm 9 pm 10 pm 11 pm 12 am 3-hr PSI 59 62 67 71 75 77 82 85 92 100 106 106 105 104 104 102 100 94

 

The haze problem is not new. There is already a haze problem way back in the eighties, only, it is not as serious.



In my earlier posting, I mentioned that the haze will get worse due to the increase of population of the dayak people leading to more slash and burn farming. And we should try to get use to it as columnist Siva Choy wrote in the New Paper on Sunday 15 Oct. "Hazy? Just look on the bright side".



There is unfortunately no solution at present. In The Sunday Times 15Oct, our Environment Minister Dr. Yaacob made a statement:



"I just want to place on record that the Singapore Government, including the affected countries, have put in the effort way back since 1991." and ".....it's something that we have known for a very long time."



The press reports everyday that the Malaysian, Singaporean and Indonesian government is trying to do something. Many committees are formed to discuss the problem. But so far, after more than a decade, there is no solution.

As somebody correctly defined the word COMMITTEE: Individuals who can do nothing individually and sit to decide that nothing can be done together. 



One method to stop the haze is to move all the dayak people out of logging concessions and plantations and centralize them in one location. This will stop the blaming game that is going on between the loggers/ plantation owners and the dayaks. Once that is done, the exact location of the fires can be pinpointed and loggers and plantation owners can be brought to task.

I believe the Indonesian government is aware of this method, but it is very difficult to implement. Slash and burn farming is a way of life and its a culture to the dayaks. By burning, they claim the land as theirs.



The ST reporters who went to Kalimantanan and Sumatra only scrapped the surface of  the situation (ST 14Oct). They did not really travel deep into the jungle. 

 

Health Advisory Persons with existing heart or respiratory ailments should reduce physical exertion and outdoor activity.The general population should reduce vigorous outdoor activity. For more information on the health advisories associated with the different air quality categories, please click here.

3-hr PSI Readings ( 16 Oct 2006 ) Time 6 am 7 am 8 am 9 am 10 am 11 am 12 pm 1 pm 2 pm 3 pm 4 pm 5 pm 6 pm 7 pm 8 pm 9 pm 10 pm 11 pm 12 am 3-hr PSI 86 86 88 89 88 84 86 99 114 127 Note: Hourly updates of 3-hr PSI readings are provided from 6am to 12am.The 3-hr PSI readings are calculated based on PM10 concentrations only.

24-hr PSI at 4pm, 15 Oct 2006 Region 24-hr Sub-Index at 4pm, 15 Oct 2006 PSI* Air Quality Descriptor Responsible Pollutant Sulphur Dioxide PM10 Ozone Carbon Monoxide Nitrogen Dioxide+ North 9 92 44 18 - 92 Moderate PM10 South 2 89 31 18 - 89 Moderate PM10 East 4 93 30 21 - 93 Moderate PM10 West 17 93 29 16 - 93 Moderate PM10 Central 2 88 14 15 - 88 Moderate PM10 Overall Singapore* 17 93 44 21 - 93 Moderate PM10

Note: A sub-index value of 1 to 50 of a pollutant indicates that the level of the air pollutant for the day is in the good range and within the USEPA annual mean ambient air quality standard. A sub-index of 51 to 100 indicates the level of the air pollutant is in the moderate range, but still within the USEPA 24-h ambient air quality standard. +Sub-index for Nitrogen Dioxide is reported only when the one-hour Nitrogen Dioxide concentration exceeds 1130µg/m3) *Based on the highest indices in accordance with the USEPA guidelines for PSI reporting.

 

No leh... I'm now at north side but getting terrible again.

 

But east side is getting thicker since 11am, I think it is rising unless raining !

 

Haze seems better now. At least in the north side of Singapore

 

24-hr PSI at 4pm, 15 Oct 2006

Region 24-hr Sub-Index at 4pm, 15 Oct 2006 PSI* Air Quality Descriptor Responsible Pollutant Sulphur Dioxide PM10 Ozone Carbon Monoxide Nitrogen Dioxide+ North 9 92 44 18 - 92 Moderate PM10 South 2 89 31 18 - 89 Moderate PM10 East 4 93 30 21 - 93 Moderate PM10 West 17 93 29 16 - 93 Moderate PM10 Central 2 88 14 15 - 88 Moderate PM10 Overall Singapore* 17 93 44 21 - 93 Moderate PM10

 

This Indonesian forest fire Haze annually with it's effects on health and livelihoods of millions in S E Asia is not to be taken lightly. The health care costs and loss in haze affected industries counts in the billions! Since the 1998 thick haze which blanketed S E Asia, which resulted in the then Pres. Suharto to make a profund apology one would have thought that effective measures has been implemented to reduce this most unpleasant ill affecting her neighbours. That the Spore and Malaysian govs. are so aggrieved is indication that this annual affair is becoming intolerable. The Spore NEA and the Malaysian monitors are recording  PSI of 150 to 500 in K L, htese are levels that the Indonesians should take seriously even though Jarkarta is Haze free. We are not expecting them to miraculously solve the problem overnight but one would have thought over the years concrete measures would have been instituted to reduce the woes upon her neighbours. That the present haze of this intensity is still evident infers that more have to be done to stop the fires whatever the reasons given by the Indonesian gov. Hopefully the high level regional meetings forthcoming ,to help Jarkarta control the haze will be well received and more effective measures formulated and followed through. Indonesia should also realise that they are custodians of one of the rich remaining forest belts of the World so vital for our environmental integrity and much economic advantage can be theirs' if they will take eco environmental balance seriously instead of allowing them to be burnt away in 100 years when so much anguish are present now.

 

ahh! i can smell the haze in my living room!! KNN! Want to watch EPL leh!

 

since this is an annual affair, macam our great Spore sale in June, its President will come to say sorry to us annually. Do you know that all those jungle/forests belong to listed companies of Msia?

 

I believe the Indonesian government want to solve the burning problem. I also believe that they, and the Asean countries do not have a solution at this point in time. After the rainy season, which should be around this time or early next month, the burning will stop. And everybody will just forget about the haze problem. By August/September next year, the haze will come again. And the newspapers will be reporting the same story all over again. It will perhaps stop after all the Indonesian jungle has been completely burnt in a hundred years' time.

As reported in ST today, the Indonesian people are used to the haze and they are not really bothered by it.

 

if this little red dot get too properous maybe they purposesly burn more to choke off out economy then angmohs dare not relocate here from HK.

 

Sporeguy mentioned about that the haze would affect Asean economic in the long term, and he is right. Note that PM mentioned (see yesterday and today news) after Sporeguy has mentioned here. (PM has to be patient with Indonesia, that is why he took longer time).

 

Seems ok today... maybe they ran out of matches...

 

For more information on the health advisories associated with the different air quality categories, please click here.

3-hr PSI Readings ( 10 Oct 2006 ) Time 6 am 7 am 8 am 9 am 10 am 11 am 12 pm 1 pm 2 pm 3 pm 4 pm 5 pm 6 pm 7 pm 8 pm 9 pm 10 pm 11 pm 12 am 3-hr PSI 43 42 42 38 36 34 47 59 70 78 81 83 81 80

 

Letter from Lim Boon Hee to Today :

The WHO states that air pollution prematurely kills 2 million people a year. If Indonesia lacks the resources or has a limited capacity to deal with the fires, why is it unwilling to accept Singapore's offer to help to douse the forest fires through cloud seeding to induce rain and to assist Indonesian farmers in land clearing?

 

Errol Goodenough's letter in Today's :

To read that Indonesia has not even agreed to ratify the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Pollution suggests that the authorities, unaffected in Jakarta, are indifferent to the scourge. This lends gredence to the growing perception that Asean "cooperation" is just so much hot air.

 

Hey,

Do not worry too much lah ! Take it easy, after the bomb testing, the share continue to "Cheong", here we simply "Bo Chap" (do not care).



Singapore, you can say what you like and you can continue to download all MP3 songs you like but don't get caught, just pity the 7 scapegoats to be charged later since the copyright law changed in Jan 2005. The strategy here is you can do what you like but don't get caught, if not just your bad luck and "suay" only. Take care!!!

 

The Haze is back! The PSI is 70 at 2pm. More haze, less tourists, less business for the shops and others. May affect the economic of Asean especially Spore and Malaysia.

 

"If you do land­clearing in pioneer areas, where no roads are established, the only practical way to get rid of the debris is to burn it," says A.F.S. Budiman, executive director of the Rubber Association of Indonesia. Alternatives, like manual clearing, are much more labor­intensive, he maintains.

And if a local official tries to enforce the ban? "You just bribe him," Budiman says flatly. "At the most, you promise to give him some shares. Then he'll just wash his hands of the matter. Who will know? It's such a big area"...