While the toxic haze from forest fires in Kalimantan, Indonesia, has been lingering in Malaysian Borneo and Singapore for the past few days, the smoke has reached the Philippines’ Metro.
Indonesia is prone to forest fires during its dry season, resulting in haze.
However, the Southeast Asian country is currently facing its worst haze episode since 2015, as climate experts linked the situation with the intensifying El Niño in the region.
NASA on Monday published a satellite worldview image captured on August 28, revealing fires across Central and Western Kalimantan that have covered the island of Borneo in smoke.
The smoke has dangerously covered Indonesia’s Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Java and Papua, resulting in poor air quality nationwide.
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Faster and farther without rain
The Philippines’ Metro Manila area on Monday experienced hazy conditions in its busiest cities.
In an interview with ABS-CBN News, Dr. Gerry Bagtasa, an atmospheric physicist and meteorology professor at the University of the Philippines, says the smoke is being transported toward the Philippines due to cross-equatorial winds.
He noted that the smoke unusually reached the country’s Metro area due to a lack of rain, which makes it travel faster and farther.
While forest fires are expected from Indonesia in its dry season, the Southwest monsoon season in the Philippines — also known as Habagat — usually washes away smoke and pollutants in the pathway before reaching the country.
Experts warn that the haze may persist for the next several days, unless the forecast of rainy days this week begins.
ASEAN’s transboundary haze warning
Malaysia’s Borneo region of Sarawak has reached hazardous levels of air quality, resulting in a sharp surge of respiratory conditions in the country.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has announced a Level 3 transboundary haze alert for its southern parts, indicating a high-risk cross-border haze.
ASEAN reported that the fire is being amplified by El Niño’s weather and Indonesia’s dry weather.
The ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution was signed in 2002 and ratified by all member states in 2015, marking the first environmental agreement in the regional bloc.
The agreement aims to set up a system that will help assist in the prevention, monitoring, mitigation, exchange of information, and inter-state assistance in the event of haze control.
The forest fire is currently being monitored by the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre.
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