Southeast Asia Haze: Air pollution in western part of Singapore hits 'very high' band
A dramatic decline in air quality… Singapore and Malaysia engulfed in thick smog from weeks-long fires blazing in neighbouring Indonesia. Singapore's 1-hour PM 2.5 reading in the west hit its highest level since 2015 at 3pm local time. The region recorded 288 -- crossing the 'Very High' band. The figures have since dropped but remain in the unhealthy range. The city-state has rolled out additional measures including distributing N95 masks to the vulnerable population. Haze shelters have also been set up while sports facilities have been closed as a precaution. In Malaysia, nearly 30 areas logged unhealthy air quality readings of more than 100 forcing schools to shut. Indonesia's Borneo and Sumatra at the heart of the disaster. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of forests and plantations have already been scorched. The government is assessing offers from other countries to help fight the fires. It's aiming to extinguish the blazes within a month. But efforts have been complicated due to difficult terrain and poor visibility. Chandni Vatvani reports from Jakarta.
A dramatic decline in air quality… Singapore and Malaysia engulfed in thick smog from weeks-long fires blazing in neighbouring Indonesia. Singapore's 1-hour PM 2.5 reading in the west hit its highest level since 2015 at 3pm local time. The region recorded 288 -- crossing the 'Very High' band. The figures have since dropped but remain in the unhealthy range. The city-state has rolled out additional measures including distributing N95 masks to the vulnerable population. Haze shelters have also been set up while sports facilities have been closed as a precaution. In Malaysia, nearly 30 areas logged unhealthy air quality readings of more than 100 forcing schools to shut. Indonesia's Borneo and Sumatra at the heart of the disaster. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of forests and plantations have already been scorched. The government is assessing offers from other countries to help fight the fires. It's aiming to extinguish the blazes within a month. But efforts have been complicated due to difficult terrain and poor visibility. Chandni Vatvani reports from Jakarta.
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