Where There is Smoke There is Fire

The annual forest burning festival is on again. Year after year, Indonesia burns acres of her forest away, as the cheapest way to clear lands ensure the expansion of palm oil, wood pulp and other rubber industries. Come September-October every year, expect haze of different thickness and choke level to envelope both Singapore and Malaysia.

Last Friday I came out of the office at 9PM to fog-filled streets. Visibility was so bad it was reminiscent of London. Only that my eyes started to become teary and my lungs choked. It was like in a chamber filled with second-hand smoke, and there was nowhere to run. Later on I found out that the PSI (Pollutants Standard Index) was at 150 at that hour, which, according to government measure causes "mild aggravation symptoms among susceptible persons and transient symptoms of irritation in some of the healthy population." Increase the PSI another 50 points and it will cause "moderate aggravation of symptoms and decreased tolerance." Should it shoot up to 300, be ready for "early onset of certain diseases." It has also been recommended lately that the "general population should reduce vigorous outdoor activity."

The highest ever recorded PSI was in September 1997 when it hit 226, the year that forest fire released 2.57 gigatonnes of Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere.

And the problem comes back year after year because it is very difficult to prosecute offenders, particularly the big plantation companies. Local authorities do not enforce regulations, and officials are confused about just which agency has jurisdiction over fire issues.

Like the saying goes "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different result, that is insanity."

Welcome to ignorance, apathy and corruption.

My dad used to say to us, "Go play outside where the air is fresh!". It seems now Glade Air Freshener vision has come true: "The air is cleaner inside".