A thick layer of smoke and ash from illegal burning to clear land for plantations mostly in Indonesia has blanketed parts of Southeast Asia in the past two weeks, causing air traffic disruptions and thousands of people reporting acute respiratory illness. Indonesian President Joko Widodo has ordered a crackdown against individuals or companies responsible for the hotspots as they revive fears of a repeat of 2015 when a total of 2.6 million hectares of land was affected, costing Indonesia $15.7 billion in economic losses.
(Sept 18): The air quality level in Singapore turned unhealthy ahead of the Formula 1 race this weekend, while Kuala Lumpur was ranked among the world’s most polluted cities, as wind from neighbouring Indonesia continued to sweep in ash and smoke from illegal burning of forests and farm land.
Authorities canceled schools for nearly one in seven Malaysian children as the haze worsened across the country, while dozens of flights in Southeast Asia were delayed or canceled because of poor visibility at airports. Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad may pass a law to hold Malaysian companies responsible if they don’t put out fires on their properties outside the country.
