Indonesian forest fires putting 10 million children at risk: UN

JAKARTA - Indonesian forest fires are putting nearly 10 million children at risk from air pollution, the United Nations warned Tuesday, as scientists said the blazes were releasing vast amounts of greenhouse gases.

The fires have been spewing toxic haze over Southeast Asia in recent weeks, closing schools and airports, with people rushing to buy face masks and seek medical treatment for respiratory ailments.

Jakarta has deployed tens of thousands of personnel and water-bombing aircraft to tackle the slash-and-burn blazes set to clear agricultural land. The fires are an annual problem but this year are the worst since 2015 due to dry weather.

Almost 10 million people under 18 -- about a quarter below five -- live in the areas worst affected by fires on Indonesia's Sumatra island and the country's part of Borneo island, the UN children's agency UNICEF said.

Small children are especially vulnerable due to undeveloped immune systems while babies born to mothers exposed to pollution during pregnancy may have low birth weights and be delivered early, they said.

"Poor air quality is a severe and growing challenge for Indonesia," said Debora Comini from UNICEF.

"Every year, millions of children are breathing toxic air that threatens their health and causes them to miss school -- resulting in lifelong physical and cognitive damage."

Thousands of schools have been closed across Indonesia due to poor air quality, with millions of youngsters missing classes.

Schools were forced to shut across Malaysia last week as dense smog from its neighbor clouded the skies, while Singapore was also shrouded in haze during the weekend's Formula One motor race.

Air quality had however improved in Malaysia and Singapore Tuesday, and the skies were clearer.

There have been a series of wildfire outbreaks worldwide, from the Amazon to Australia, and scientists are increasingly worried about their impact on global warming.

The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, part of the EU's Earth observation program, said this year's Indonesian fires were releasing almost as much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as blazes in 2015, the worst for two decades.

From the start of August to September 18, the fires emitted about 360 megatons of the greenhouse gas, compared to 400 megatons over the same period four years ago, the service said.

One megaton is equivalent to one million tons.

At the peak of the 2015 crisis, the fires were emitting more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each day than all US economic activity, according to environmental watchdog the World Resources Institute.

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Forest fire haze clears over Singapore ahead of F1

SINGAPORE- Singapore's skies were clearer Friday and air quality improved as smog from Indonesian forest fires drifted away, easing fears that this weekend's Formula One race may be affected.

Raging blazes in Indonesia have been spewing toxic haze over neighboring Singapore and Malaysia, with Jakarta deploying security forces and water-bombing aircraft to tackle them.

The Indonesian fires are an annual problem during the dry season when farmers use illegal slash-and-burn techniques to clear land for agriculture, but this year's are the worst since 2015.

Thick smog had been hanging over Singapore since last weekend, pushing air quality to unhealthy levels, obscuring the waterfront skyline and sparking fears that Sunday's showpiece F1 night race could be affected.

But on Friday the skies were largely clear, with only a light haze over the city, while air quality improved to a "moderate" level of around 60 on the National Environment Agency's scale.

A reading between 101 and 200 indicates unhealthy air quality.

The wind direction could however still change ahead of the weekend and push smog back over Singapore.

F1 organizers say they have a contingency plan if the haze worsens and have been stocking up on face masks to protect against pollution which spectators can buy at the circuit.

Indonesia and Malaysia have been worst affected by haze from the fires, which are burning on Indonesia's Sumatra island and the Indonesian part of Borneo. Borneo is shared between Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

Thousands of schools have been forced to close in both countries amid mounting health concerns, while several airports have shut in Indonesian Borneo due to poor visibility.

On Friday more than 2,600 schools were closed in Malaysia, education authorities said.

The worst-affected state was Sarawak, on Borneo, where more than 1,000 schools were shuttered and air quality reached "hazardous" levels in one area bordering Indonesia, according to an official index.

Indonesia meanwhile had some success in "cloud-seeding" -- inducing rain using chemicals sprayed from planes -- with the technique producing a downpour over hard-hit Riau province on Sumatra, disaster agency spokesman Agus Wibowo said.

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Indonesian haze shuts down schools, sparks fears for Singapore F1

LUMPUR - Toxic haze from Indonesian forest fires closed thousands of schools across the country and in neighboring Malaysia Wednesday, while air quality worsened in Singapore just days before the city's Formula One motor race.

Illegal fires to clear land for agriculture are blazing out of control on Sumatra and Borneo islands, with Jakarta deploying thousands of security forces and water-bombing aircraft to tackle them. 

The Indonesian blazes are an annual problem, but this year's are the worst since 2015 and have added to concerns about wildfire outbreaks worldwide exacerbating global warming.

On Wednesday, air quality deteriorated to "very unhealthy" levels on an official index in many parts of peninsular Malaysia, to the east of Sumatra, with the Kuala Lumpur skyline shrouded by dense smog. 

Nearly 1,500 schools were closed across Malaysia due to the air pollution, with over 1 million pupils affected, according to the education ministry.

The two worst-affected states were Selangor, outside Kuala Lumpur, where 538 schools were closed, and Sarawak on Borneo, with 337 closures. Hundreds of schools in several other states in peninsular Malaysia were also affected. 

Borneo island is divided between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. 

A growing number of Malaysians were suffering health problems due to the haze, with authorities saying there had been a sharp increase in outpatients at government hospitals -- many suffering dry and itchy eyes.

Indonesian authorities said hundreds of schools in hard-hit Riau province on Sumatra were shut, without providing a precise number, while about 1,300 were closed in Central Kalimantan province on Borneo. 

Poor visibility also caused the cancellation Tuesday of about 40 flights at three airports in Indonesian Borneo. 

SINGAPORE SMOG RACE? 

Air quality in Singapore worsened to unhealthy levels and a white smog obscured the striking waterfront skyline, featuring the Marina Bay Sands casino resort with its 3 towers and boat-shaped top level. 

The worsening pollution increased fears that this weekend's Formula One race may be affected. Organizers say the possibility of haze is one of the issues in their contingency plan for Sunday's showpiece night race, but have not given further details.

The city-state's tourism board said spectators would be able to buy masks as protection from the haze if conditions would not improve.

Assistance would also be provided on-site for spectators who feel unwell, the board's executive director of sports, Jean Ng, told the Today news portal.

"Various Singapore government agencies have been working closely with (the) race organizer... to ensure the delivery of the best race and entertainment experience possible while keeping a watchful eye on the health and well-being of everyone involved," she said.

The Indonesian government has insisted it is doing all it can to fight the fires, with President Joko Widodo saying during a visit to a hard-hit area on Sumatra on Tuesday that "we have made every effort."

But this year's fires have been worsened by dry weather and experts believe there is little chance of them being extinguished until the onset of the rainy season in October.

Indonesia's meteorology, climate and geophysics agency said Wednesday that over 1,000 hotspots -- areas of intense heat detected by satellite that indicate a likely fire -- had been sighted, most of them on Sumatra. 

The smog is also affecting endangered orangutans on Borneo, with dozens of the young apes at rescue centers contracting respiratory infections, according to the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation.

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Indonesia arrests nearly 200 over raging forest fires

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Indonesia has arrested nearly 200 people over vast forest fires ripping across the archipelago, police said Monday, as toxic haze sends air quality levels plummeting and sparks flight cancellations.

Jakarta has deployed thousands of personnel to battle blazes that are turning land into charred landscapes and consuming forests in Sumatra and Borneo islands, where thousands of schools have been shut over health fears.

The fires -- usually started by illegal burning to clear land for farming -- have unleashed choking haze across Southeast Asia, triggering diplomatic tensions with Indonesia's neighbors.

On Monday, authorities said they had arrested some 185 people suspected of being involved in activities that led to out-of-control fires sweeping the country.

"Indonesian Police will enforce the law against anyone who is proven to have carried out forest and land burning, whether it was done intentionally or through negligence," National Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo told reporters in Jakarta.

"This is a last resort. The most important thing is prevention."

Four corporations were also being investigated, he added.

Last week, Indonesia sealed off dozens of plantations where smog-belching fires were blazing, and warned that owners -- including Malaysia and Singapore-based firms -- could face criminal charges if there was evidence of illegal burning.

Some of the most serious fires occur in peatlands, which are highly combustible when drained of water to be converted into agricultural plantations.

Thick haze in Borneo -- where air quality levels have plummeted to "dangerous" levels in some areas -- caused the cancellation of about a dozen flights Sunday, national airline Garuda said.

Rival Lion Air said about 160 Borneo flights had been affected at the weekend.

Meanwhile, nearly 150,000 people have been treated for acute respiratory infections linked to the haze in recent months, according to Indonesian health authorities.

While forest fires are an annual problem, the situation this year has been worsened by drier weather in Indonesia, with diplomatic tensions soaring as toxic smog drifts over to neighboring Malaysia and Singapore.

The haze pushed Singapore's air quality to unhealthy levels for the first time in three years at the weekend.

In 2015, Indonesia suffered its worst forest fires for almost two decades, which dramatically increased its greenhouse gas emissions.

Huge fires tearing through the Amazon are also compounding concerns about the long-term impact of such blazes on keeping global temperature levels stable.

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Beijing slashes traffic in pollution red alert

BEIJING - Half of Beijing's private cars were ordered off the streets Tuesday and many construction sites and schools were closed under the Chinese capital's first-ever red alert for pollution.

A grey haze descended on the city of around 21.5 million people, with levels of PM2.5 -- harmful microscopic particles that penetrate deep into the lungs -- at one point above 300 micrograms per cubic meter according to the US embassy, which issues independent readings.

The World Health Organization's recommended maximum exposure is 25.

The alert coincided with global climate change talks in Paris, where Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed "action" on greenhouse gas emissions.

Most of China's greenhouse gas emissions come from the burning of coal for electricity and heating, which spikes when demand peaks in winter and is the main cause of smog.

It was the first time authorities declared a "red alert" since emergency air pollution plans were introduced two years ago, although levels were far from the city's worst.

It came a week after thick grey smog shrouded Beijing, cutting visibility severely and sending PM 2.5 levels as high as 634 micrograms per cubic metre.

Under the alert -- the highest in a four-tiered, colour-coded warning system -- an odd-even number plate system bans half the city's roughly 4.4 million private cars from the streets on alternate days.

Outdoor construction sites are ordered to close and some industrial plants told to cease or reduce operations.

Some schools are also urged to close, and several Beijing residents said their children had been told to stay at home.

Authorities in the capital were heavily criticized after only issuing an orange alert for last week's pollution.

“The red alert is a welcome sign of a different attitude from the Beijing government,” said Dong Liansai, climate and energy campaigner for environmental group Greenpeace.

“However, this, the latest of a series of airpocalypses to hit Beijing, is also a firm reminder of just how much more needs to be done to ensure safe air for all.”

Nonetheless some social media commenters said the measures were not enough.

"Can we apply to work at home? The air in our office is totally 'poison gas'", said one poster on Sina Weibo, a Chinese version of Twitter.

The decision to issue the red alert despite relatively low numbers also provoked ridicule.

"Today wasn't as serious as the previous time," said one commenter. "How could they not issue a red alert then and issue a red alert now?"

An editorial in the government-published newspaper the China Daily on Tuesday said the move showed that "authorities have listened to residents' concerns."

"Of course," it added, "we don't expect the frequent issuance of a red alert, and we hope that we will be able to forget about it in the near future", when the government can "keep the air clean for good".

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