Summary

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Live Reporting

Edited by Joel Guinto, with Quinawaty Pasaribu in South Kalimantan, Liza Tambunan, Faisal Irfani and Astudestra Ajengrastri in Jakarta, Tessa Wong in Singapore and Virma Simonette Rivera in Manila

  1. Singapore on edge as it eyes air pollution levels

    Tessa Wong
    Asia Digital Reporter, in Singapore

    A man wearing a face mask in front of the Merlion in Singapore, while the background is shrouded in hazeGetty Images

    Much of Singapore was shrouded at the peak of the haze episode in 2013

    As wildfires continue to rage on in neighbouring Indonesia, Singapore is nervously eyeing the level of air pollution.

    Many still remember some of the worst episodes in 2013 and 2015, when the city was blanketed by a miasma for weeks. Schools had to shut, fast food chains stopped making deliveries, and there were shortages of N95 masks.

    For the last few years Singapore has managed to avoid the haze thanks to Indonesia reining in some of the worst excesses of its annual wildfires. But this year warnings that the "super El Nino" would exacerbate the situation has once again put Singapore on edge.

    The government and retailers have stockpiled N95 masks, and schools have made plans to minimise outdoor activities.

    Even the Formula 1 Grand Prix, which is due to host hundreds of thousands of people downtown in early October, has come up with a contingency plan, including stocking up on masks and ensuring adequate medical assistance will be on standby.

  2. 'There is a burnt smell,' says doctor in Philippines

    Virma Simonette Rivera
    Reporting from Manila

    Haze can be seen above a green forest.

    Balabac, Palawan

    We now go to Palawan, an island province in the Philippines, located north of the Indonesian wildfires and south of Manila.

    Dr Precious Bañas-Melad tells me that her husband and cousin have experienced itchy eyes, nose, and throat over the past few days.

    “We are now experiencing mild headaches too. My cousin who isn’t allergic to anything started developing allergies. My husband is the first one who had itchy eyes, throat,” she says.

    Last week, she observed haze in the skylines of Balabac town, but on Tuesday, it seemed "like the haze is now in front of us".

    “On Sunday, there was a burnt smell. We unplugged our television, coffee maker, and other appliances thinking that the burnt smell was from those. But when we checked on the internet, it’s apparently the Indonesian forest fires.”

  3. Toxic air extends to Malaysia, Philippines

    Quinawaty Pasaribu
    Reporting from Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan

    Aerial view of Kuching, capital city of Malaysia's Sarawak shrouded in hazeGetty Images

    Haze clouds an aerial view of Kuching, the capital city of Sarawak

    As over 50,000 people are hospitalised for respiratory infections in Indonesia, health alerts have also been raised in neighbouring countries where haze has been detected.

    In Sarawak, Malaysia's side of Borneo Island, the Air Pollution Index (IPI) in several areas has been "unhealthy".

    Authorities suspended face-to-face classes in Kuching, Samarahan, Serian, Sri Aman, and Betong, as day by day, the smoke from Kalimantan is getting thicker.

    Sarawak resident Muhammad Fazli Bendaud says he is worried that the haze is "getting stronger."

  4. BBC team arrives in island shrouded in wildfire haze

    Quinawaty Pasaribu
    Reporting from Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan

    A white van druving on a dark and hazy road in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan Indonesia

    I landed in Banjarmasin at 21:00 local time last night from Jakarta. At first, there was no obvious sign of haze along the road from Syamsudin Noor Airport. But about 3km from the airport, a thin layer of smoke haze became faintly visible, hanging over the streets.

    According to IQAir, the air quality in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, last night was categorized as "unhealthy for sensitive groups." Locals told me that just a week earlier, dense haze had engulfed the airport area, forcing at least nine flights to be delayed. The smoke was caused by peatland fires located not far from the airport.

    Despite the worsening air quality, schools remain open and classes continue as normal. No policies have been introduced to shift students to remote or online learning.The broader picture across Kalimantan shows the scale of the problem.

    The highest number of hotspots has been detected in Central Kalimantan, with 8,572 hotspots. West Kalimantan ranks second with 7,617 hotspots, while South Kalimantan is third with 1,450 hotspots.

    The parking lot of Banjarmasin airport in South Kalimantan

  5. Massive wildfires have been burning for weeks in Indonesia

    Here are scenes from Kalimantan, where some fires have been burning for weeks, blanketing the region and surrounding areas in thick haze.

    Yellow flames illuminate a hilltop in Kalimantan, Indonesia that is being consumed by fire.Getty Images
    Silhouette of a man attempting to douse Indonesia wildfires with watergetty
    Water is dropped from a helicopter onto a burning forest in IndonesiaGetty Images
    Firefighters walk on a parched forest floor consumed by wildfires in IndonesiaGetty Images
    A city in Kalimantan, Indonesia is almost shrouded entirely in hazeGetty Images

  6. Haze from wildfires threaten millions in Indonesia

    Firefighter wearing an orange suit and a mask stand in front of burning grass in IndonesiaGetty Images

    For weeks, Indonesia has been battling wildfires that have left large swathes of the country choking in a toxic haze.

    Millions of people in Sumatra and Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo island, have been exposed to the noxious air, with thousands of people already admitted to hospital with respiratory infections.

    And haze from these spots has spread as far as neighbouring nations like Malaysia and the Philippines.

    Today, we'll be bringing you updates from the ground on how the haze has disrupted daily life in some of South East Asia's largest and most densely populated regions - stay with us.

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