2016 Southeast Asian haze

The 2016 Southeast Asian haze was an air pollution crisis which affected several countries in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.[1][2]

Southeast Asian haze series
Haze in Borneo, 2019
1990s 1997 Southeast Asian haze 1997 Indonesian forest fires 2000s 2005 Malaysian haze 2006 Southeast Asian haze 2009 Southeast Asian haze 2010s 2010 Southeast Asian haze 2013 Southeast Asian haze 2015 Southeast Asian haze 2016 Malaysian haze 2016 Southeast Asian haze 2017 Southeast Asian haze 2019 Southeast Asian haze

The haze was caused by Indonesian agricultural fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan.[1] The fires are attributed to illegal slash-and-burn practices by companies and individual farmers, which remove vegetation to make way for plantations of palm oil, pulp and paper.[1][2][3]

On 17 August, 365 hot spots were detected on Indonesia's Sumatra island, with 278 in the province of Riau.[4] On 18 August, 158 hot spots were detected in the province of West Kalimantan.[5] By 26 August, six Indonesian provinces had declared a state of emergency due to the fires: Central Kalimantan, Jambi, Riau, South Kalimantan, South Sumatra and West Kalimantan.[6] Indonesia has reported arresting around 450 people in 2016 for their connections with the fires.[1][2]

On 17 August 2016, Malaysia's Air Pollutant Index first surpassed the 'unhealthy' level of 100 for the region's dry season.[7] On 24 August, Malaysia offered to dispatch two Bombardier 415 fire-fighting aircraft if Indonesia would officially request help to tackle the fires.[8]

In June 2016, Singapore offered Indonesia a Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft for cloud seeding, as well as a Singapore Civil Defence Force fire-fighting team, and assistance in providing satellite pictures and determining the coordinates of fires.[9] On 26 August 2016, Singapore's 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) entered the 'unhealthy' range of above 100, while its 3-hour PSI reached 215.[1][10]