A hazy situation

I’m sure by now we have all heard the news about the haze situation in Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia. I know that it is continuing to get much worse before it gets better. And even though we previously thought we were safe here from the effects the haze is having on our neighboring ASEAN countries, it looks like we were wrong and the haze is now knocking on our doorsteps too with incidences reported in both Visayas and Mindanao.

Originating from Indonesia, the haze is the result of illegal slash and burn deforestation tactics to clear land for new plantations in Sumatra and Kalimantan. This is actually a recurring problem in Indonesia and haze is usually an annual headache brought about by raging forest fires – which not only result in haze, but also in the death and endangerment of the forest’s natural residents, the orangutans, who are suffering from both the fires and the continued loss of their natural environment. Their numbers are already dangerously low and continue to drop yearly.

All of that is bad enough as is, and there have been several calls for the Indonesian government to take a firmer and more decisive stand against the slash and burn practices, but until now it happens on a yearly basis. This is usually due to the need to create more land for plantations or to revitalize existing plantations by getting rid of trees that are no longer producing. The burning is the quickest and cheapest way to do this and because of wanting to cut costs, the practice remains. Unfortunately the practice of “cutting corners” has always been known to yield negative results in the long run.

In most years, haze becomes a problem and even spreads to neighboring Singapore and Malaysia, but more often than not, it dies down in a few months time or the regular monsoon rains of the region eliminate the deadly effects of the haze before the situation gets out of hand. However, this year, it’s different. Most suspect that the situation now is worse because of El Niño. The dry season has made it that much easier for the fires to spread and get out of hand resulting in more smoke and haze that spread throughout Indonesia and across the country’s borders. In fact, according to reports the prolonged dry season have allowed the daily deadly CO2 emissions from the fires burning in Indonesia to have surpassed the average daily emissions of the entire US economy (which is 20 times larger than Indonesia) and the emissions from the fires in the past three weeks have surpassed Germany’s entire annual emissions.

To date, at least six out of the ten countries in the ASEAN region have already been affected by the haze this year including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, and now the Philippines as well. And it’s not just about haze decreasing visibility and being a hindrance, but the haze is posing serious health risks in the areas affected. In Indonesia the air has already turned a toxic brown where the Pollutant Standard Index is reading towards 2,000 (anything above 300 is considered hazardous to human health). Wildlife, such as the orangutans along with other species are being forced to flee their habitats due to the fires and are affected by the deadly emissions as well and six Indonesian provinces have declared a state of emergency. In the worst parts of the affected areas in Sumatra and Kalimantan, ten people have died from haze related illnesses and thousands upon thousands of respiratory tract infections have been reported since July such as cases of pneumonia and asthma.

In neighboring regions of Malaysia and Singapore the haze is reaching deadly levels as well and have caused school shutdowns, flights to be grounded, and events to be cancelled. Residents have been told to stay indoors if possible and use masks and even protective glasses or goggles if they have to go outside. It’s reaching alarming levels and while the governments have tried to work with the Indonesian government to put out the fires, currently nothing has proven effective yet.

Here in the country, we watched with growing worry that the haze would come to our shores, though the fear was not too strong because I think we believe the situation would finally get under control before that happened. Unfortunately that is not the case and haze has been detected in several areas in Visayas and Mindanao. In Cebu, flights were cancelled or delayed last Sunday due to thickening smog leaving thousands of travelers stranded. In Zamboanga, the incidences of respiratory related illnesses have increased as well, and some believe this is due to the haze.

It’s believed that Typhoon Lando, which passed over the country’s Northern tip last week may have contributed to the haze problem in the Philippines by dragging smoke to the archipelago from Indonesia. It’s possible that the situation won’t get any worse, but there’s no guarantee. While the haze in our country has been mild compared to other parts of Southeast Asia, it’s still alarming and the Department of Health is advising residents of the affected areas to try to wear face masks in areas with haze, especially those with asthma or breathing problems. Additionally, the DOH has said that hospitals in the south were ready to receive anyone affected by the haze.

Personally, I think this is something that affects us all, whether we are in the Philippines or in the harder hit countries of Singapore, Malaysia, and Singapore. The haze situation getting out of control is just more proof that we need to be more cognizant of what destroying the environment is doing to the world. The fact that the haze problem continues to occur annually should no longer be acceptable. Firm and decisive action has to be taken and enforced. It’s unfortunate that it has taken this long for everyone involved to realize that. While the problem may have originated in Indonesia, everyone has a stake in solving it as fast and as efficiently as possible.