An Indonesian official is putting the blame on Singapore and Malaysia for the haze that has raised the air pollution to “unhealthy” levels.
Hadi Daryanto, secretary-general of Indonesia’s Forest Ministry said that Malaysian and Singaporean palm oil companies use the “slash and burn” method of clearing land. He says the technique is being used as it’s the cheapest land-clearing method. (Source)
He asks that Malaysian and Singaporean companies pay more attention to what is being done on their ground.
According to the Malaysian Environmental Department, the Air Pollutant Index (API) rose as high as 161 on Saturday in Malacca. The smog is Malaysia’s worst since 2005, when authorities declared a state of emergency in two areas. According to the API, the southern states of Peninsular Malaysia are experiencing unhealthy levels of pollution.
In Johor, around 200 schools were ordered shut due to the hazardous pollution. (Source)
