Haze , Smoke, Fire, API, Malaysia, Indonesia, PSI- VADS CORNER

HAZE

VADS CORNER - HAZE

This site is dedicated to haze/smoke. It was originally set up as a result of haze(1997) in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and the surrounding region as a result of forest fires from Kalimantan and Sumatra in Indonesia. Recently, slash and burn practices in Indonesia (Sumatra) has raised concern of another 1997 situation. (March 2000). It seems to be happening yet again in August 2002 and yet again in August 2005 and in October 2006. In fact it seems to occur almost every year since. The current episode is June 2013.

This site will be updated, from time to time and retained as a reminder to us, as to what can go wrong if we are not careful. This site also shows that the we are not alone, transboundary problems can affect any country. You are welcome to suggest links or comments related to this site by e-mailing directly to me or mentioning the link in the guestbook. I however have the right to moderate these links. Thank you for visiting this site.Please read the disclaimer.

Some of the news link sites may be down but they have been kept as a reminder of the events that took place.

This site is becoming a site by the people for the people.

Suggest for updates, see links in italics.

If you appreciate this site do sign my guestbook. View comments.

Thank you for visiting this site.

Thanks

First up on 22 Sept 1997

Last updated 13th Sept 2019

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HAZE IN THE WIND; (SING THE TUNE OF CANDLE IN THE WIND); BY THE ASMATICS

Goodbye clear blue sky
Though we never see you anymore
We hope you've not forgotten
to come back to Singapore*
The fires won't stop burning
And no matter how hard we try
It seems we're edging closer
towards one thousand PSI

And it seems to me you lived your life
like a candle in the wind
Never staying a moment longer
when the haze set in
And your memory will always haunt us
when the CD sirens wail
Your candles burned out long before
our lungs completely fail ....
(Thanks to Joshua)
* Choose your country

Situation over South East Asia

Current Situation

Current and Recent Significant Global Fire Events (a must see) - Global Fire Monitoring Center (Thanks to John D Anderson)
- MODIS Rapid Response System Global Fire Maps (see latest image)
- Global Fire Early warning System
- South East Asia Fire Monitoring
  - Current regional fire status
- Projects and Programmes in South East Asia
- South East Asia - Best Links on Fire in South East Asia.
- Indonesia: Emergency call for assistance (7 August 2002)(Historical)
The Fire Information for Resource Management System/EOSDIS (FIRMS)
UNEP -DEWA/GRID-Geneva is part of UNEP's global group of environmental information centres, known as the Global Resource Information Database (GRID) network.
CRISP (Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing) Main Page
Earth Observatory - See images
ASEAN Haze Action ONLINE
- Combating Haze in ASEAN: Frequently Asked Questions
Indonesian Fire Maps - Indonesia : USDA Forest Service (USFS)
Department of Environment, Malaysia.
- Air Pollutant Index (API)
Malaysian Meteorological Service
- Weather

National Environment Agency, Singapore
- Haze Update
- Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) readings.
- PSI vs MAPI (down)
- PSI Health Advisories
- FAQ's on Haze
- Pollutant Concentration
Daily Air Quality for Bangkok from Pollution Control Department, Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment. (Thanks to Hugh Thaweesak Koanantakool)
The Weather Underground
Additional News a sample during the the haze peak.
News
- INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS DISCUSS PLAN OF ACTION ON FOREST FIRES - March 2001

SEAsia Haze Related Sites

ReliefWeb: Indonesia: Forest Fires - Mar 2000 Some links below are broken but kept for historical reasons
- Update on fire and Haze situation in the region - Asean (13 July 2000)
- Thick clouds hinder satellite imaging of Indonesia's fires - AFP (21 March 2000)
- Forest fires worsen haze on Indonesian Sumatra - DPA (18 March 2000)
- Indonesia - Forest Fires OCHA Situation Report No. 1 - OCHA (14 March 2000)
- ASEAN tackles smoke haze - ASEAN (10 March 2000)
- United Nations Environment Programme welcomes tough stance on forest fires by Indonesian Government - UNEP (9 March 2000)
- Indonesian forest fires enter 'dangerous category' - AFP (30 April 1999)
- Forest fire causing pollution in West Kalimantan - ABC (27 April 1999)
- Joint Press Statement - Sixth ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Haze - ASEAN (16 April 1999)
- Haze problem may sweep Southeast Asia again in July - AFP (17 March 1999)
- ADB Workshop to Combat ASEAN Fires - ADB (31 August 1998)
- UNEP delivers encouraging news to ASEAN environment ministers -UNEP (29 July 1998)
- Indonesia : Haze/Smog - IFRC (15 July 1998)
- A multi-billion estimate on the cost of Asia's forest fires - ABC (29 May 1998)
- Haze/Smog Situation Report No. 3 - IFRC (15 May 1998)
- Environmental crisis in South East Asia is far from over - UNEP (14 May 1998)
- Regional collaborative programme to tackle transboundary Haze - ASEAN (12 May 1998)
- Indonesia Environmental Emergency OCHA Situation Report No. 10 (05 May 1998)
- UNEP Executive Director welcomes Indonesian rains but stresses UN forest fire-fighting efforts must continue (28 April 1998)
- UNEP's Executive Director unveils short-term action plan to contain forest fires in Indonesia (21 April 1998)
- Land, Bush and Forest Fires - UNDAC Mission Report (20 April 1998)
- UNEP's Executive Director convenes meetings in Geneva on forest fires (17 April 1998)
- The Third ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Haze - ASEAN (4 April 1998)
- Fighting the forest fires - UNEP's Klaus T?fer urges teamwork in UN response (27 March 1998)
- IFRC Weekly News: El Nino and Southeast Asia Environmental Emergency (13 March 1998, IFRC)
- Malaysia's Sabah state battling large forest fires (12 March 1998, ABC)
- SG briefed on forest fires in Indonesia by UNEP Executive Director (6 March 1998, UN DPI)
- Environmental Disasters need urgent attention (2 March 1998, UNEP)
- Indonesia warns against international backslash as more fires burn (2 March 1998, ABC)
- Urgent Action to Combat Haze ASEAN (25 Feb 1998)
- Singapore air worsens as Indonesian fires spread (20 Feb 1998, Reuters)
- IMF says Indonesia was unable to use special funds against fires (22 Jan 1998, ABC)
- Map of SEAsia Forest Fires
- Situation Report No.8, 18 December 1997
- Situation Report No.7, 30 October 1997
- Situation Report No. 6, 18 October 1997
- Situation Report No. 5, 4 October 1997
Haze information seen in Thailand.
WWF Indonesia
Forest Fires Smoke Prediction Using Hysplit_4
ASEAN Secretariat - Regional Haze Action Plan
- Press Releases (some of the links have changed u could search for it)

Components of Air Pollution

Six Principal Pollutants - US EPA Office of Air & Radiation
Acid Rain - US EPA Office of Air & Radiation
Visibility - US EPA Office of Air & Radiation
Particulate matter (PM10)- Information
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)- USA
British Columbia Ministry of Environment Protection and Sustainability- Particulates

Health Aspect of Air Pollution

Precautions that need to be taken
How to wear a face mask (Thanks to Thomas)
Malaysian Ministry of Health Public Leaflet Information
Haze Advice
NIOSH-Approved Disposable Particulate Respirators (Filtering Facepieces)
Air and Health - WHO Pamphlet
Asthma, Air Quality, and Environmental Justice

Information on Air Pollution

Plain English Guide to The Clean Air Act - USA
AIRNow
EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards
EnviroLink -
Respiratory Protection Program Manual - Guidelines mainly for Occupational Health Use
Haze Span by Forrest M. Mims III.

Local Resources

Malaysian Medical Association Newsletter Cybermed column
Malaysian Medical resources
Friends of the Earth - Money walks in Indonesia as forest fires rage again
The Impacts of Transboundary Haze Pollution of the 1997/98 Fires Episode on Health

Worldwide Resources

Current and Recent Significant Global Fire Events - MODIS (Thanks to John D Anderson)
US Geological survey
- Wildfires and the Environment : A Global Synthesis, Feb 1999, PDF Format
UNEP - Global Forest Fire Watch: Wildfire Potential, Detection, Monitoring, and Assessment R.W. Klaver, E.A. Fosnight, and A. Singh
Forest fires and Monitoring Report - GRID
US Environmental Protection Agency
WHO
- Environmental Health
- Guidelines on Vegetation Fire Emergencies for Public Health Protection
US EPA Office of Air & Radiation
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)
South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD)
ATSDR - Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
ATSDR Science Corner
CIESIN - Consortium for International Earth Science Information Network
UK's National Air Quality Archive
European Environment Agency (Thanks to Jennifer Carter for updating the link)
The Earth Times

Worlds Largest Waterbomber

Global Emergency Response services from Russia (with video (mpg) and other pictures). (Thanks to John D Anderson) - Link down

Did you know that the Ilyushin-76TD is the world's largest waterbomber? (Thanks to John D Anderson)
Wikipedia info.
Airborne Fire Disaster Control by the Russian Civil Defense (Thanks to John D Anderson)
Opinion: World's Best Fire-Fighting Plane Ignored (Thanks to John D Anderson)
U.S. declines offer for Russian 'Waterbomber' plane (Thanks to John D Anderson) - Link down
Controversial plane not used in US fires (Thanks to John D Anderson) - Link down
Christian Science Monitor - US takes a pass on a Soviet-era firefighting plane - Link down
Russian Rescue Service Step Closer to Globalization (Link Down)
Catherine Ford a prominent Canadian opinion-shaper
Russia So Far Denied Invitation to Centre Stage in Environmental Defence by Stuart B Dobson
Media Statement from Australia's Planet Ark - LEADING AUSTRALIAN ENVIRONMENTALIST SLAMS U.S. FOREST AUTHORITIES
The Plane Truth - ABC News
- A reader responds
Common Misconceptions held by US Government Department Officials in Respect of the ILyushin 76 "Waterbomber" by Stuart B Dobson. For pdf format.(Aug 30, 2000)
Global Warming in the 21st Century:Discussion of "An Alternative Scenario" By James E. Hansen
Global Emergency Response - Press Release
- Press Release 2001/1 (pdf file 150kb)
Los Alamos Fire Fueled By US Protectionism
Forest Service ignores offers of Russian help
Could Russian 'waterbomber' save California?
Excellent NATO photo from "Field Exercise "Bogorodsk 2002" in Noginsk, Russian Federation"
Air Safety Week - "Deplorable Safety Record of (US) Firefighting Aircraft Scored in Report." (Down)

Satellite Images :

earth observatory Nasa - Fires
Visible Earth Nasa
Indonesian Fire Maps - USDA Forest Service (USFS)
ESA - earthnet online (Thanks to Alessandra Buongiorno)
NOAA - Satellites
Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing (CRISP) (Thanks to Ian Tsou)
National Geophysical Data Center(NGDC)
Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS)
NASA Earths Observing System
- TOMS -EP
Global Geostationary Weather Satellite - Global Hydrology and Climate Center (Thanks to Charlie Northcroft)
Kochi University, Weather Index (Thanks to Y.Martin Hardiona)
Earth and Moon Viewer
- S.E.Asia (colour) ..you may choose the type of view (see options)
- Choose a view from a satellite e.g Measat 1, Measat 2, Palapa C1 etc.

News Online : Updates. Read the news online for updates on the haze in the respective countries.Suggest those with italics.

BBC - Asia
- Malaysia haze triggers emergency (11 august 2005)
- In pictures: Malaysia haze -Pictures of the haze cloaking parts of Malaysia, which is blamed on Indonesian fires.(11 august 2005)
- Deadly Asian haze 'can be tamed' (Monday, 12 August, 2002)
- Asian haze poses 'widespread threat' (Sunday, 11 August 2002)
- Asia joins forces against haze (Monday, 10 June, 2002)
- Smog fears grow across SE Asia (10 July 2001) ( Thanks to Jonathan Clough)
- New smog fears for Indonesia (9 July 2001)
- Smog smothers Malaysia (16 July 2000)
- Indonesia gets tough over fires (13 March 2000)
- Indonesia chokes as forests burn - audio/video clip 28 k (13 March 2000)
- Smog hazard (13 March 2000)
- Rain eases Indonesian fires (11 March 2000)
- Indonesia's fires: Who's to blame ? (10 March 2000)
- Eyewitness: Sumatra's forests ablaze (10 March 2000)
- Air pollution stops rain (10 March 2000)(Thanks to John D Anderson)
- Indonesia faces new smog menace (10 March 2000)
- Anti-pollution steps in Sumatra (9 March 2000)
- Sumatra fires 'national disaster' (8 March 2000)
- Smog alert over Sumatra fires (6 March 2000)
- Forest fires rage in Sumatra (3 March 2000)
- Forest fires rage in Sumatra (3 March 2000)
- Jakarta warned over forest crisis (8 January 2000)
- Forest fire pollution warning (26/08/99)
- Indonesia faces haze disaster (14/08/99)
- Row over Malaysian haze (6/08/99)
- Sumatra haze 'as bad as 1997' (6/08/99)
- Malaysian government under fire over haze (6/08/99)
- Haze hits Sumatran city (5/08/99)
- Haze threatens SE Asian Games (4/08/99)
- Flashback to Haze '98 (2/08/99)
- Return of the Asian haze (1/08/99)
- New S E Asia smog scare (31/07/99)
- UN warns of further serious Indonesian fires (21/04/98)
- Indonesian apes 'face extinction' (19/04/98)
- Indonesian government failure to fight forest fires (14/04/98)
- The economic cost of the haze (07/04/98)
- Battle to break the blaze (07/04/98)
- Huge blaze bill for south-east Asia (17/03/98)
- Malaysia intensifies efforts to stop forest fires in its Borneo states (13/03/98)
- Haze - bad for the health (08/03/98)
- Haze - what can be done (26/02/98)
- Haze - who starts the fires (25/02/98)
- Borneo ablaze (20/02/98)
- Water bombers tackle Indonesian fires (16/02/98)
- New smog threat as Indonesia bush fires spread (12/02/98)
- Borneo fires flare up again (11/02/98)
Yahoo News -All links below down
- Borneo fires may intensify 'Asian brown haze' - New Scientist - Aug 12 2002
- Choking Haze Blankets S.E. Asia - Washington Post (15/08/99)
- ASEAN ministers may meet earlier to tackle haze problem : report - AFP (10/08/99)
- Minister sights hundreds of fires on Indonesian Borneo island - AFP (06/08/99)
- Malaysia Criticized for Pollution - AP (06/08/99)
Sarawak Tribune & Utusan Sarawak, Sarawak, Malaysia.(Some links below may be broken but are kept for historical reasons)
- Alarming API readings at border towns (15 August 2002)
- Hotspots in Swak's central region now greatly reduced (30 July 1999)
- Malaysian and Brunei armed forces combat forest fires
The Star Online Malaysia. (Some links below may be broken but are kept for historical reasons)
- Star news Haze Alert (11 Aug 2005)
- Public to get only morning API (21 July 2000)
- Smog hits southern Thailand (20 July 2000)
- Cabinet discusses API request (20 July 2000)
- No API readings to avoid distortions (19 July 2000)
- Indonesia to control forest fires (18 July 2000)
- Schools may protect students from the haze (18 July 2000)
- API above 100 in Sungai Petani (18 July 2000)
- Keep public in the know about haze condition (18 July 2000)
- Plantation owners come under fire (10 March 2000)
- Jakarta: Fires a national disaster(9 March 2000)
- Sumatra fires may blanket region in haze (8 March 2000)
- Heavy haze hits Singapore (30 July 1999)
New Straits Times Interactive, Malaysia (Some links below may be broken but are kept for historical reasons)
- Forest fires, open burning bring back the haze (16 July 2000)
- Directive to cease all open burning (14 March 2000)
AFP News Page (Some links below may be broken but are kept for historical reasons)

Singapore blanketed in haze from Indonesia (29 July 1999)

Indonesian fires push Singapore haze levels near unhealthy mark (29 July 1999)
Borneo Bulletin, Brunei.(Some links below may be broken but are kept for historical reasons)
- Anxious Malaysian aithorities keep tabs on return of haze (30 July 1999)
The Straits Times Interactive, Singapore (Some links below may be broken but are kept for historical reasons)
- Slight haze expected this week (13 Sept 2000)
- Pilots complain about fires near KL airport (22 July 2000)
- Sumatra fires bring back the haze (20 July 2000)
- Minister defends ban on pollution readings (19 July 2000)
- Schools may protect students from the haze (19 July 2000)
- Visibility improves but smoke may return (18 July 2000)
- Weak laws and corruption fuel forest burning (18 July 2000)
- Jakarta has no plan to combat forest fires (18 July 2000)
- Haze shrouds half of Malaysia (17 July 2000)
- Angry calls to make public air pollution index (17 July 2000)
- Kuala Lumpur shrouded in haze (16 July 2000)
- Penang hit by haze from fires (15 July 2000)
- Haze danger in Straits of Malacca (12 March 2000)
- Jakarta not doing its part: Paper (11 March 2000)
- Riau fires: Culprits found, but action unlikely (11 March 2000)
- Riau landowners who start fires to be punished (10 March 2000)
- SIMON TAY: What pressure can be put on Jakarta govt (10 March 2000)
- Tracking down fire starters...one by one (9 March 2000)
- Jakarta warns logging companies (9 March 2000)
- BBC: No end in sight to haze woes (9 March 2000)
- Firms, farmers still burn land despite law (8 March 2000)
- Satellite pictures pinpoint hotspots (7 March 2000)
- NGOs CAN HELP WITH HAZE (6 March 2000)
- Riau province is 'haze central' with 137 fires (4 March 2000)
Far Eastern Economic Review - Trial by Fire Smog crisis tests Asean's vaunted cooperation
The Business Times Singapore
Bangkok Post, Thailand.The Nation
CNN World News - Asia -
- Wahid pledges to prevent repeat of 1997 Indonesian forest fires (10 March 2000)
- Fires reach 'emergency level' in Indonesia, haze over Singapore (9 March 2000)
- Indonesia fires will burn on after El Nino-expert (6 April 1998) (down)
- Southeast Asian fires quicken orangutans' demise (25 Feb 1998, CNN)
- Fires, drought in Indonesia threaten orangutans
Asiaweek
- Gloom Across the Horizon ,
- Oct 10 issue 1997 ,
- March 13 issue 1998,
- A Disaster
- Gasp, choke, wheeze (08/17/99)
- Haze It's back thanks to the slash-and-burn tradition (20-27 August 1999)
The Christian Science Monitor
- Lessons From 'the Year the Earth Caught Fire' (need to subscribe)
- In Asia's Big Haze, Man Battles Man-Made Disaster
CNET Malaysia ; CNET Singapore
- Electronic greenies: Can going online help the environment? By Wong Siew Lyn, October 22, 1999
- Malaysians vent online after smog readings blackout By L. Chan Monday, August 16 1999
- Preparing for the haze (15 May 1998)
Planet Ark
- Air-Pollution
  - Hazy Malaysia keeps air quality data under wraps (11 July 2001)(Thanks to John D Anderson)
  - Smog disperses in Malaysia, health concerns linger (18 July 2000)
  - SUMATRA FIRES SPARK HAZE WARNING IN SINGAPORE (Thanks to John D Anderson) (16 May 2000)
  - Indonesia warns planters to end fires or face jail (Thanks to John D Anderson) (15 March 2000)
  - Experts call for Jakarta to face court over smog (9 August 1999)
  - Smog covers Singapore, Malaysia as Sumatra burns (7 August 1999)
  - Haze returns to Singapore, parts of Malaysia (2 August 1999)
  - ASEAN urged to fight the smog or choke on it (2 August 1999)
  - INTERVIEW - SE ASIA SEEN BUYING TIME WITH SMOG PLAN (12 July 1999)
  - SOUTHEAST ASIA UNVEILS CAMPAIGN TO STAMP OUT FIRES (7 July 1999)
  - MALAYSIA DENOUNCED FOR SCRAPPING SMOG INDEX (18 June 1999)
  - MALAYSIA WITHHOLDS SMOG INDEX NUMBERS FROM PUBLIC (15 June 1999)

Current Fires

U.S.Western Fires

Previous Fires Elsewhere

Ethopian Fires - Ethiopian fires 'out of control' (Thanks to John D Anderson) (7 March 2000)
Forest Fires in Russia
Amazon Fires
Fires in California
Forest Fires in Canada
Fires in Greece
Florida Fires
Smoke/Dust over North America from Mexico Fires
Bush Fires' in Australia

EL Nino

Information Related to El Nino
Clark Lab - GIS Applications (Thanks to Martin Hardiono)

La Ni?

MEDLINE abstracts (NLM PubMed).

Source: National Center For National Biotechnology Information(NCBI). When you read the MEDLINE (NLM PubMed) abstract click on Links: Related Articles.
- Daily mortality and air pollutants: findings from Koln, Germany. J Epidemiol Community Health 1996 Apr;50 Suppl 1:S52-S58 ; Spix C, Wichmann HE.
- Search "Wood Smoke Human"

Medline Search Sites, Environmental Site and Search Engines

Green Now: the Retailer's Guide to Environmental Responsibility (Thanks to Jennifer Carter)
Medline Search Sites - Do your own search for relevant articles.
Occupational Health , Safety & Environmental Sites in the Web
Search Engines - Search the WWW.
Deja News - (Google)Search articles and Newsgroups. Note the information obtained from Newsgroups are not moderated and should be interpreted with caution. Haze., Forest Fires
Yahoo - Environmental Health resources

Great financial resources regarding natural disasters (Thanks to Brittany Fisher)

Disclaimer

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First up on 22 September 1997.

Last updated 13th Sept 2019

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