NEWS: Air Pollution Soars As Malaysia Declares State of Emergency

The National Security Council of Malaysia has declared a state of emergency within the counrty as pollution from fires in Sumatra blanket the region in a blanket of thick smoke. Airports were closed as visibility was reduced to 300 metres and schools also closed with citizens warned to stay indoors. The capital Kuala Lumpar is covered in a yellow haze with the tops of buildings disappearing in the smoke.



Cloud seeding will commence in an effort to clear away the smoke through rain.

This is an issue that needs to be addressed by the Indonesian Government. Pollution of such levels hold worldwide ramifications and the International community should be finding out what is going on and what can be done to stop these fires re-occuring.

Related News Links:
www.abc.net.au

[edit on 11-8-2005 by Mayet]

Ouch! I know that pollution is really bad, but it is this bad? it's more like fog except people are breathing in smoke from cigarettes.

This is bad, but what is causeing the fires?
Is it annual slash and burn or what?

And wont rain mean acid rain?

Yup i am from singapore and depending on the wind directions our country usually get affected too, its the villagers annual burning season in preparation for their next crop.

Blacvios,
Thanks for filling us in. So it is slash and burn, and it would seem it is necessary for the survival of the people in the country. So could anything be done to solve this problem?

Its their farming habit. They burn this piece of land and farm it, then leave it for a few years when it lose its fertility before they choose to farm it again. Unless the Indonesian gov decides to give them a permanent plot and fertilisers then i can see such things continue to happen in years to come. Hope Singapore will not get this

It's so unfair really when you see the whole situation.. the farmers started the fire in Sumatera and the northeast monsoon bound wind carrie the smoke all over Malaysia. Once pit fire starts, sure it takes hells a lot of efforts to distinguish them.

As a result, Malaysians are forced to inhale air which is equivalent to air mixed with secondary smoke from millions of ciggarettes..might be as well gather people and hold a rally and ask them to fart in unison in the direction of sumatera as a retaliaton.

Nothing could be done unless they get help from other nations... and get those advanced airborne firefighting equipments like being used in california and north california. malaysiia has a couple of helicopters for firefighting purpose but it's not enough...and the bureucracy os the main stumbling block for the helis and firefighters to be sent to Indonesia.

The whole region is eperiencing a very dry season and it's only excerberating the situation. Lack of big cumulus cloud is hampering the cloud-seeding process..

just for a lit info..

Here's a comparison picture of some hardest hit place.


pwp.maxis.net.my...
when it's clear a month ago


pwp.maxis.net.my...

Above pic was taken last week. imagine how bad the situation today!!!! State of emergency was declared in 2 major towns only as the API (Air pollution Index)breached 500 points ...the rule is to declare and emergency when it breaches the 500 level - EMERGENCY - BEYOND HAZARDOUS category..

Classification of API index..
www.thestar.com.my...

More infos on this haze issue.
www.thestar.com.my...

[edit on 11-8-2005 by hypermount]

[edit on 11-8-2005 by hypermount]

Map shows how the wind carry the haze..

images.malaysiakini.com...

Little articles like this show as time goes on after first publishing, not just the pollution but the destruction of the planet that caused the pollution.

The cause of the fires has ben brushed over and not really mentioned much. Most articles mention forest fires but people would naturally presume the standard ones.

What is actually happening is that farmers are destroying and deforesting thousands of acres of jungle and forest to clear the land for agricultural purposes.

The fires, many deliberately lit on Indonesia's Sumatra island to clear land for agriculture, are once again testing relations between the two Southeast Asian neighbours after the smoke caused Malaysia's worst pollution crisis in eight years.

www.alertnet.org...

an article in my local newspaper alerted me after it said charges were being laid over the fires.

To quote the Cairns Post - Tuesday August 16 2005 page 16

Jakarta: Indonesia will prosecute at least 10 plantation companies - 8 of them Malaysian - which have been blamed for lighting fires that destroyed thousands of hectares of jungle and covered parts of Malaysia with noxious haze. As well Indonesia's military announced it will send hundreds of soldiers onto Sumatra Island to support exhausted fire brigades that have been using buckets and hoses.

www.terradaily.com...
wwwc.environmentalhealthnews.org...