2013 Southeast Asian haze

A NASA satellite image of the haze.

The 2013 Southeast Asian haze was a haze caused by continued uncontrolled burning from plantation cultivation in Indonesia, and affected several countries in the Southeast Asian region, such as Malaysia and Singapore. The haze started around mid-June 2013 when farmers around Dumai City, Riau Province burned down large areas of forest for land clearing. As many as 187 hotspots were picked up by satellites on 18 June 2013. Many of the hotspots are owned by palm oil companies (with business based on Singapore and Malaysia) or smallholder farmers who supply palm oil to these companies and use traditional slash-and-burn methods to clear their land for the next planting season.

Countries affected

The extent of the haze as of 19 June. Singapore as well as the Malaysian state of Johor are seriously affected by the haze carried over from the Sumatran hotspots in red

Malaysia

The haze affecting Malaysia was the worst since 2005, with the Air Pollution Index (API) hitting 172 on 19 June 2013. On 17 June, only two areas of unhealthy API was recorded, reduced from six areas on 16 June. According to the Malaysian Department of Environment, the two areas were Kemaman, Terengganu (118) and Balok Baru, Kuantan, Pahang (110). On 19 June, API readings at 5pm by the Malaysian Department of Environment showed that Johor and Malacca were worst affected by the haze. The highest reading in Johor was 172, which was recorded in Muar, while that of Malacca was 161, which was recorded in the state capital, Malacca City.

On 20 June 2013, the haze in Malaysia worsened. Johor and Malacca remained the worst-affected states. In Johor, Muar recorded a hazardous reading (383) at 11am, which was the worst of the readings. Kota Tinggi was the 2nd-worst, recording a very unhealthy reading of 232. In Malacca, Malacca City was worst hit, with an unhealthy reading of 137. Readings in other parts of Malaysia ranged from good to unhealthy. There is also a concern that the haze may affect the Jelajah Malaysia cycling tour the following week.

Measures taken

The health hazard had forced the authorities to close all 221 schools in Muar and Ledang for two days. A similar directive was also given to shut down all schools in Batu Pahat. Many outdoor activities on the affected area such as the Malaysian National Service (PLKN) camp training and Johor Rugby Carnival had been stopped or postponed. The Department of Environment has issued a ban against open burning activities in Selangor, Malacca and Johor until further notice. Those who are convicted of an open burning offence can face fines of not more than RM500,000 (S$199,400) or a maximum imprisonment of five years, or both according to Section 29AA(2) of the Environmental Quality (Amendment) Act 2001. Malaysian Prime Minister also advised the public to reduce outdoor activities at the moment.

Air pollution index

Daily API readings in June 2013
Date (Time)	George Town	Kuala Lumpur	Malacca Town	Johor Bahru	Kuantan	Kuching
17 (7am)	56	74	129	77	106	59
17 (11am)	53	66	102	74	107	58
17 (5pm)	46	60	62	77	99	56
18 (7am)	41	59	65	116	70	47
18 (11am)	46	62	68	125	67	42
18 (5pm)	49	65	72	122	63	46
19 (7am)	55	75	148	122	67	60
19 (11am)	56	76	160	124	68	65
19 (5pm)	57	72	161	152	70	68
20 (7am)	54	61	134	171	72	79
20 (11am)	53	61	137	181	71	80
20 (5pm)	52	67	150	219	73	85
21 (7am)	57	78	192	190	85	84
21 (11am)	60	81	205	197	87	83
21 (5pm)	64	80	271	158	90	86
22 (7am)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

  0–50  Good  51–100 Moderate 101–200 Unhealthy 201–300 Very unhealthy 301- Hazardous

Singapore

Upper East Coast Road, Singapore, on 8 May 2013.

Haze on 21 June 2013 from the same vantage point.

The effects of the haze on Singapore. Normally, the hills in the background can be clearly seen.

The graph plots the PSI readings released by NEA from 20 June to 21 June 2013. At 12 p.m. on 21 June 2013, the readings reached a record-breaking level of 401, in the highest possible Hazardous range.

In Singapore, air quality remained in the Unhealthy range for a few days. Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) first hit levels unseen in 16 years when a PSI of 155 was recorded at 10 p.m. on 17 June 2013. At 10 p.m. on 19 June 2013, the 3-hour PSI reading of 321 breached the Hazardous zone for the first time in the nation's history, surpassing its previous record of 226 (Very unhealthy) during the 1997 haze. However, the reading soon decreased to 282 at 11 p.m., and 218 at 12 a.m., both of which are in the Very unhealthy range. At 1 p.m. on 20 June 2013, the 3-hour PSI reading reached record levels once again with a reading of 371 in the Hazardous range.

At 11am on 21 June 2013, a new all-time high was recorded, with a PSI of 400 in the "Hazardous" range. Shortly after that, the new record was broken again at 12pm, with the PSI remaining in the "Hazardous" range with a reading of 401.

As with the other haze events that preceded this, the ties between Indonesia and Singapore have become strained, with Indonesia swiftly pushing the blame for the haze to Singapore and Malaysia, which have invested in palm oil firms at the area of the burning. The Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, as well as Vivian Balakrishnan, the Singaporean Minister of Environment and Water Resources, have expressed concern over the haze, calling on Indonesia to do more to resolve the issue. Cloud seeding was suggested to get rid of the haze, but Singapore's meteorological service said that it was not possible at the moment, since there was insufficient cloud cover.

Aggravating the situation, face masks were sold out early in major drugstores and other retailers due to strong demand, although the Ministry of Health subsequently reassured the public that restocks were being distributed, from its adequate armory of close to 9 million N95 masks.

Measures taken

The Singapore Armed Forces has ceased all outfield training until further notice to ensure the safety of the soldiers.

On 19 June 2013, Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan announced in a press conference that the Government has formed a task force which comprises 23 agencies to deal with the situation and draw up contingency plans. If the haze situation worsens, schools will be closed and the Ministry of Manpower Singapore may issue a stop-work order. NEA also sent a delegation to Indonesia on 20 June 2013 to discuss concrete steps to take in order to cope with the situation. McDonald's Singapore has officially stopped its delivery services in the country for the time being, as a safety precaution.

Air traffic controllers at Singapore Changi Airport are also lengthening the time between flight takeoffs and landings. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) has explained that visibility on the runways has dropped to at most 1500m. But despite the severe haze, no significant delays in flight departures and arrivals have hit Changi Airport so far.

On 21 June 2013, the Ministry of Education announced that all school activities will be cancelled in the month of June.

PSI readings

See also: Pollutant Standards Index

24-hour PSI readings in June 2013 Based on PM2.5 concentration only.
Date (Time)	North	South	East	West	Central	Overall
19 (4pm)	121	115	101	118	107	101–121
20 (8am)	168	173	156	171	152	152–173
20 (12pm)	178	196	180	180	169	169–196
20 (4pm)	193	214	193	191	179	179–214
20 (11pm)	196	236	196	199	182	182–236
21 (8am)	197	196	180	198	170	170–198
21 (9am)	205	205	184	209	175	175–209
21 (10am)	219	216	186	220	179	179–220
21 (11am)	217	220	186	227	180	180–227
21 (12pm)	210	232	188	225	181	181–232
21 (3pm)	190	225	181	196	173	173-225
21 (4pm)	185	225	177	194	171	171-225
21 (5pm)	177	216	175	189	166	166-216
21 (6pm)	173	200	169	182	161	161-200

3-hour PSI readings in June 2013 Based on PM10 concentration only. Date/Time 12am 1am 2am 3am 4am 5am 6am 7am 8am 9am 10am 11am 12pm 1pm 2pm 3pm 4pm 5pm 6pm 7pm 8pm 9pm 10pm 11pm 17 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 56 56 55 57 64 80 95 100 105 111 110 111 117 140 152 155 150 18 145 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 109 106 108 115 121 123 114 104 95 90 85 81 82 88 97 108 122 133 19 134 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 77 78 80 84 91 103 124 152 170 172 158 146 144 161 190 290 321 282 20 218 195 N/A N/A N/A N/A 137 128 122 131 153 198 299 371 355 312 253 268 310 292 231 197 231 250 21 210 173 143 119 104 96 94 111 158 256 367 400 401 360 245 168 145 143 139 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 22 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 0–50 Good 51–100 Moderate 101–200 Unhealthy 201–300 Very unhealthy 301- Hazardous

Both government responses

Malaysia

Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said on his official Twitter that four ministers from four countries (Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand) would meet in Malaysia to discuss the issue on 20 August 2013. Malaysian Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit also said that Malaysia are willing to send help to Sumatra.

Singapore

On 21 June 2013, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong stated on his Facebook page that “the Singapore Child is being suffocated”. This was in response to an Indonesian Minister comments on Singaporeans "behaving like a child" over the haze issue, made the day before. Using an example of Malaysian and Singaporeans being neighbours, he stressed that one should be considerate for another. He then quoted an act of "burning our garden refuse openly if the smoke will enter our neighbour’s house" for instance.

International responses

• Indonesia – A foreign ministry official said that the government plans to use cloud-seeding to extinguish fires that have been causing the haze. Agung Laksono, the Indonesian Minister for People's Welfare, called for Singapore to cease "making all these noise" and "behaving like a child", insisting that Singapore companies that own plantations on Sumatra must share the blame.
• Greenpeace International – The environmental organization thought of the situation as an "international problem", stating that "nothing could be more illustrative of forest destruction than the polluting haze that is coming from Sumatra". It urged the parties responsible for the haze to take preventive actions.

See also

• 1997 Southeast Asian haze
• 2005 Malaysian haze
• 2006 Southeast Asian haze
• Air quality index
• Asian brown cloud
• Borneo peat swamp forests
• Deforestation in Borneo
• Haze
• Pollutant Standards Index
• Smog