Latest news with #Sumatra
CNA
2 hours ago
- Climate
- CNA
Singapore not affected by transboundary haze despite surge in Sumatra hotspots: NEA
SINGAPORE: Singapore has not been impacted by transboundary haze despite a spike in the number of forest and land fires in Indonesia's Sumatra, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Tuesday (Jul 22). In response to queries from CNA, NEA said that this was due to favourable wind conditions. "Based on satellite observations, smoke plumes were detected in the southern and central parts of Sumatra in recent days," the agency said. "As the prevailing winds are mostly blowing from the southeast over Singapore and the vicinity, Singapore has not been affected by transboundary haze." Dry conditions in the region are, however, expected to persist until the end of the week before wetter conditions return and possibly improve the regional hotspot and haze situation, NEA added. The agency said that the ongoing dry season in the southern Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region is expected to last until October. "During this period, dry conditions may occur over the region," said NEA. "The hotspot and smoke haze situation may escalate at times, and depending on prevailing wind conditions, increase the risk of transboundary haze affecting Singapore." If transboundary haze affects Singapore, NEA said that the government's inter-agency Haze Task Force – comprising 28 government ministries and agencies – will activate the necessary action plans to mitigate and manage the impact of the haze, should the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index enter the unhealthy range. "Tiered measures will be implemented depending on the intensity of the haze, along with advisories to the public," the agency added. Sumatra reported a total of 1,292 hotspots on Monday, a jump from 94 on Jul 12. Hotspots, which appear on satellite images, represent areas where there are high levels of heat – possibly as a result of forest or land fires. Within the region, Riau province has been the worst hit by fires in forests and peatlands, with a total of 582 hotspots reported on Monday. This is up from 38 hotspots reported on Jul 12. In an advisory on Jul 19 regarding transboundary haze, the Malaysian Meteorological Department, MetMalaysia, said that hotspots in Sumatra captured by satellite imagery last Friday and reported by the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre could have contributed to haze carried by southwesterly winds. It stated that the haze was affecting several states on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, with the agency not expecting any changes in weather or wind direction that could reduce its impact over the coming days.
Free Malaysia Today
7 hours ago
- Climate
- Free Malaysia Today
Air quality at unhealthy levels in 8 areas
Indonesia is set to begin cloud seeding operations in Riau province today, to combat escalating forest and land fires which are causing haze to drift into parts of Malaysia. (AP pic) PETALING JAYA : Air quality in several parts of Peninsular Malaysia reached unhealthy levels over the past 24 hours, as escalating forest and land fires in Sumatra caused smoke haze to drift into parts of Malaysia Alor Gajah in Melaka was the worst affected, with an average air pollutant index reading of 160 at 9am, with similar levels in Temerloh, Pahang (156); Banting, Selangor (155); Nilai, Negeri Sembilan (155); Kemaman, Terengganu (153); Johan Setia, Selangor (152); Cheras, Kuala Lumpur (151); and Putrajaya (124). Moderate air quality was reported in 57 areas. The data, from the environment department's air pollutant index management system, represents an average of readings taken over 24 hours and updated hourly. An index figure of below 50 indicates good air quality, 51-100 moderate, 101-200 unhealthy, 201-300 very unhealthy, and above 300 hazardous. Indonesia is set to begin cloud seeding operations in Riau province today, to combat escalating forest and land fires which are causing haze to drift into parts of Malaysia, reported Reuters. A spokesman for Indonesia's national disaster mitigation agency said the operation would continue for at least seven days. Data from Indonesia's meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency indicated 1,208 fire hotspots across Sumatra as of Sunday, with 586 located in Riau alone. Indonesian broadcaster Metro TV reported that haze from these fires has already reached parts of Malaysia. Environment department director-general Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaafar yesterday said the deterioration in air quality was influenced by the movement of smoke and haze entering the west coast region of the country over the past 24 hours. 'No large-scale fires in the country have been detected,' he said.
CNA
a day ago
- Climate
- CNA
Indonesia's Sumatra sees 14-fold spike in fire hotspots over 1.5 weeks, as Malaysia warns of haze
JAKARTA: Indonesia's Sumatra island has seen a sharp spike in forest and land fires, with the number of hotspots jumping from 94 to more than 1,000 within 10 days. A total of 1,292 hotspots were detected in the region, according to a report by Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency BMKG on Monday (Jul 21). Hotspots are satellite images with high infrared intensity, indicating sources of high heat, such as forest and land fires. Within the region, Riau province has been the worst hit by fires in forests and peatlands, with a total of 582 hotspot detections. This is up from 38 hotspots reported on Jul 12. 'The trend (of number of hotspots) is increasing because Riau is entering the peak of the dry season and the intensity of rain and cloud growth is decreasing,' Irwan Nasution, coordinator of BMKG Riau province, told CNA. The Rokan Hilir regency and North Sumatra province were also badly hit by blazes, with 244 and 236 blazes detected in the areas respectively, according to the Jul 21 report by BMKG. Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said it will also be carrying out cloud-seeding to fight the forest fires in Riau from Jul 21 to Jul 27. Abdul Muhari, the head of the BNPB's Disaster Data, Information and Communication Center said that additional measures, such as a water-bombing helicopter and an air patrol to monitor the fires will also be deployed to Riau as part of the cloud-seeding and fire mitigation efforts, according to a report on the agency's website. Indonesia's fires are usually a result of slash-and-burn techniques being deployed to clear land for subsequent crops, as well as the dry season exacerbating the situation. The forest and peatland fires are a primary cause for the recurring issue of transboundary haze, which is an annual problem for Indonesia and its neighbours, including Singapore, Malaysia and southern Thailand. According to the ASEAN Specialised Monitoring Centre, dry conditions were observed over most parts of the southern ASEAN region from Jul 20. Aside from parts of northern Sumatra, hotspots were also detected in parts of Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo. The Malaysian Meteorological Department, MetMalaysia, released an advisory on Jul 19 regarding the transboundary haze. It said that hotspots in Sumatara captured by satellite imagery last Friday and reported by the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre could have contributed to the haze carried by south-westerly winds. It stated that the haze was affecting several states on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, with the agency not expecting any changes in weather or wind direction that could reduce its impact over the coming days. On Monday morning, eight locations in Malaysia recorded air pollutant index readings above the unhealthy range of 100. The worst hit was Alor Gajah in Melaka, with a reading of 160.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Climate
- South China Morning Post
Indonesian haze reaches Malaysia as forest fires rage in Sumatra
Haze from forest and peatland fires in some parts of Indonesia 's Sumatra island was detected in Malaysia on Sunday, officials said. Forest and peat fires are an annual problem in Indonesia that strain relations with neighbouring countries. In recent years, smoke from the fires has blanketed parts of Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and southern Thailand. A number of areas in Indonesia's Riau province were still covered by thick haze, although choking smoke had not been registered in the provincial capital of Pekanbaru, said Riau deputy police chief Adrianto Jossy Kusumo. He said more than 140 forest and peatland fires were reported in the province. Rokan Hilir and Rokan Hulu districts were the worst-hit areas by fires that burned about 46 hectares in the two districts, resulting in heavy haze pollution across the area that reduced visibility to as low as one kilometer (half a mile). The figure for fires was down from 294 hotspots on Saturday after authorities managed to extinguish the fires in several places, Kusumo said. He said haze has caused the air quality in Riau to worsen, 'but overall it has not disrupted people's lives in other areas of the province.'
The Independent
2 days ago
- Climate
- The Independent
Forest fire haze from Indonesia detected in Malaysia
Haze from forest and peatland fires in some parts of Indonesia's Sumatra island was detected in Malaysia on Sunday, officials said. Forest and peat fires are an annual problem in Indonesia that strain relations with neighboring countries. In recent years, smoke from the fires has blanketed parts of Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and southern Thailand. A number of areas in Indonesia's Riau province were still covered by thick haze, although choking smoke had not been registered in the provincial capital of Pekanbaru, said Riau deputy police chief Adrianto Jossy Kusumo. He said more than 140 forest and peatland fires were reported in the province. Rokan Hilir and Rokan Hulu districts were the worst hit areas by fires that burned about 46 hectares in the two districts, resulting in heavy haze pollution across the area that reduced visibility to as low as one kilometer (half a mile). The figure for fires was down from 294 hotspots on Saturday after authorities managed to extinguish the fire in several places, Kusumo said. He said haze has caused the air quality in Riau to worsen, 'but overall it has not disrupted people's lives in other areas of the province.' However, based on satellite imagery from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency in Pekanbaru, haze was detected moving northeastward and reaching Kemang Bay in Malaysia's Negeri Sembilan state, said a forecaster on duty, Gita Dewi. 'It showed the haze was moving by the wind to cross Malaysia,' Dewi said. She said hotspots were also detected in other parts of West Sumatra and North Sumatra provinces, but Riau recorded the highest number of hotspots on the island of Sumatra. Forest fires on Sumatra and Borneo islands often break out in the region during dry spells, smothering parts of nearby Singapore and Malaysia in haze. In 2023, Indonesia which often sends apologies to its neighbors over the haze, denied that its fires were causing blankets of haze in Malaysia. The Indonesian government usually blames plantation owners and traditional farmers for illegally setting the fires for land-clearing.
