English: This was a 2-ha peat fire that occurred near the Raja Musa Forest Reserve in Selangor, Malaysia. Note that there is a large amount of smoke without any open flames. This is because the fires are below the surface, where the peat is smouldering.
| |
| Date | 5 June 2013 |
| Source | Own work |
| Author | Tan Yi Han |
Peat fire in Malaysia.
From Wikipedia.
Haze and fires are happening in many parts of the world you might visit, or travel away from.
First, the bad news. On Saturday September 14, 2019, the pollution measurement put haze at the danger level in the west of Singapore where I was, ironically, at the hospital. I was not there to treat any lung or heart condition caused by the haze which affects the vulnerable elderly as well as children disproportionately. I was in the hospital's training area which was used by Toastmasters for a training session on Pathways.
As we drove away towards the nearby Yishun MRT railway station, I saw a sun out of the car window.
Seconds later, the sun was obscured by haze. My companion started coughing. Singapore is not the only country to suffer.
Indonesia and Malaysia
The bad news is that the fires are all over Malaysia and Indonesia. I was horrified to hear from friends that they believed that peat fires were not accidents, but caused by deliberate boring into the ground.
The good news is that the government of Indonesia has sent people to fight the fires. Indonesia's citizens have suffered from the fires.
Malaysia has closed schools in Johor Bahru, whose name means 'new Johor', the city across the bridge from Singapore.
I was worried about my relatives who were planning to stay in Singapore in December for Christmas and to invite their other relatives from the UK to stay.
The good news is that the October weather will defeat the wildfires in Asia.
Fires have also caused problems in the USA, Northe America, and in South America.
India and Delhi
The haze affects Dehli in India. One of their solutions is to try to reduce car pollution. They ban cars with odd and even numberplates on alternating days.
London UK
Meanwhile, in London, England, adding to the woes of travellers caused by threats of strikes for more money by pilots, well-intentioned people are using drones to disrupt Heathrow flights to draw attention to global warming.
The amount of pollution I can see caused by a single plane seems much less serious to me that the smog blanketing the whole city, the whole country of Singapore.
Final good news. Sunday morning in Singapore the haze was clearing fast. Either the wind had blown it away or the efforts by the authorities have had effect or a bit of both. Hurray!
Last time there was a major haze, one of my Singaporean friends who has a second home in Australia hopped on a flight to Perth. An economy flight from Singapore to Perth is currently, Sept 2019, quoted at $449, which is about half the cost from Singapore to London on the same website, which was $988.
If you are concerned that you might want to cancel or postpone a flight, you can buy premium rate flight tickets from a major carrier which allow cancellation, but they cost more.
Useful Websites
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/schools-to-reopen-tomorrow-despite-air-conditions-but-agencies-have-plans-in
https://www.haze.gov.sg/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeast_Asian_haze
singaporeair.com
Author
