Air pollution Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage to the climate or to materials. There are many different typ ...

has been an ongoing problem in many countries in the

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

region, and Malaysia is one of the worst affected.

Haze Haze is traditionally an atmospheric phenomenon in which dust, smoke, and other dry particulates suspended in air obscure visibility and the clarity of the sky. The World Meteorological Organization manual of codes includes a classificati ...

has been a major issue for the country, driven by

slash and burn Slash-and-burn agriculture is a farming method that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a field called a swidden. The method begins by cutting down the trees and woody plants in an area. The downed veget ...

practices by farmers and peat fires blown by the wind from

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. A state of emergency was announced in 2005 at

Port Klang Port Klang ( ms, Pelabuhan Klang) is a town and the main gateway by sea into Malaysia. Known during colonial times as Port Swettenham ( ms, Pelabuhan Swettenham) but renamed Port Klang in July 1972, it is the largest port in the country. It is l ...

as the Air Pollution Index (API) went above 500. Malaysia has worked with the Indonesian authorities to help curb peat fires. Malaysia and Indonesia, together with other members of the

ASEAN ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, militar ...

community, signed the

ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution The ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution is a legally binding environmental agreement signed in 2002 by the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to reduce haze pollution in Southeast Asia. The Agreement ...

in 2002 as a result of a 1997 haze.

Air Pollution Index

The air quality in Malaysia is reported as the Air Pollution Index (API). Four of the index's pollutant components (i.e., carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide) are reported in ppmv but PM₁₀ particulate matter is reported in μg/m³. This scale below shows the health classifications used by the Malaysian government. * 0-50 Good * 51-100 Moderate *101-200 Unhealthy *201-300 Very unhealthy *301- Hazardous If the API exceeds 500, a state of emergency is declared in the reporting area. Usually, this means that non-essential government services are suspended, and all ports in the affected area are closed. There may also be a prohibition on private sector commercial and industrial activities in the reporting area excluding the food sector.

2005 Malaysian haze

The

2005 Malaysian haze The 2005 Malaysian haze was an air pollution crisis caused primarily by fires in neighbouring Indonesia. In August 2005, haze spread across Malaysia from forest fires on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, leading to air quality reaching hazardous ...

was a week-long choking smog-like haze over Malaysia that almost brought the central part of Peninsular Malaysia to a standstill, prompted crisis talks with Indonesia and caused widespread inconvenience. The haze was at its worst on August 11, 2005. This was a comeback of the haze crisis which last hit Malaysia in September 1997.

2015 Southeast Asian haze

The 2015 Southeast Asian haze was caused by mass illegal burning in Indonesia and resulted in over a month of haze in Malaysia, Singapore and parts of Thailand - triggering school closures and disrupting air travel. The haze was considered among the worst in history according to a NASA scientist. Researchers from Harvard and Columbia universities in the US estimated 6,500 people in Malaysia died prematurely due to the incident. But later, the claim was refuted by Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysian health authorities.

References

External links

at the Department Of Environment {{DEFAULTSORT:Air Pollution In Malaysia Air pollution in Malaysia,

Air Pollution Index

2005 Malaysian haze

2015 Southeast Asian haze

See also

References

External links