As predicted, the El Nino phenomenon has been alarmingly increasing the phenomenon of smog pollution, which the international press is calling the “haze crisis” in many countries, of which Southeast Asia is one of the most heavily affected regions. It is not an exaggeration to say that fighting smog pollution is a new and not easy battle that Southeast Asian countries are facing.
The risk of a full-blown smog crisis
On September 29, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Specialized Meteorological Center (ASMC) activated Alert Level 2 for the southern ASEAN region. It is just one level away from a full-blown haze crisis.
Malaysia is perhaps one of the countries that is suffering the worst consequences of this crisis. According to information released by the Malaysian Environment Department on October 2, Malaysia's air pollution situation is worsening, especially in the West of Peninsular Malaysia, with 11 areas recording unhealthy levels of the Air Pollution Index (API).
“ Overall air quality across the country has deteriorated. Forest fires in southern Sumatra and central and southern Kalimantan in Indonesia have caused transboundary haze, ” Malaysia’s Environment Department Director-General Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar said in a statement. Schools and kindergartens are required to suspend all outdoor activities when the API reaches 100 and close when the API reaches 200.
The Petronas Twin Towers are seen in the smog in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: EPA-EFE
Earlier, on September 30, AFP 9 quoted a top environmental official in Malaysia as saying that hundreds of forest fires in Indonesia had caused haze in parts of Malaysia, worsening air quality. However, Indonesia has disputed the report.
In Indonesia, the situation is no less dire. On August 27, 2023, the government of the Indonesian capital Jakarta said it had applied fogging technology from the roofs of high-rise buildings to prevent fine dust, the main cause of pollution in this city in recent times.
In early August, the capital Jakarta topped the list of the world's most polluted cities according to the ranking of Swiss air quality monitoring company IQAir. Specifically, Jakarta and its surrounding areas have regularly recorded PM2.5 fine dust pollution levels many times higher than the recommended level of the World Health Organization (WHO), far surpassing other seriously polluted cities such as Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Doha (Qatar) and Lahore (Pakistan).
In Thailand, smog is no less dire. According to global air monitoring platform IQAir, in April 2023, levels of PM 2.5 (fine particles small enough to enter the bloodstream) in Chiang Mai were 30 times higher than the World Health Organization’s (WHO) annual guidelines. IQAir ranked Chiang Mai as one of the most polluted places in the world, surpassing frequent “hotspots” like Lahore and Delhi.
In March 2013, many schools in Laos were forced to close due to unprecedented levels of PM2.5 dust. Authorities in Bokeo and Xayaboury provinces (Northern Laos) temporarily closed all kindergarten classes in the two provinces due to high levels of fine dust in the air. The Lao Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has warned people across the country about the serious air pollution.
Unforeseeable consequences of fine dust particles
The most well-known ultra-microscopic fine dust particles are: PM10 – Dust particles with diameters ranging from 2.5 to 10 µm (µm stands for micrometer, the size of one millionth of a meter) and PM2.5 are dust particles with diameters less than or equal to 2.5 µm. PM2.5 and PM10 fine dust particles are produced from many different causes, mostly from human activities through burning charcoal, burning fossil fuels, dust from construction sites, street dust, burning waste, industrial smoke, deforestation, smoking, etc.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the human body only has a self-protection mechanism against dust particles larger than 10 micrometers, but dust sizes from 0.01 to 5 micrometers will be retained in the trachea and alveoli. Fine dust PM2.5 (with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers) is the most dangerous pollutant to human health. For example, in Thailand, according to data from the country's Ministry of Health, since the beginning of 2023, nearly 2 million people in the country have been hospitalized for respiratory problems due to air pollution. Chiang Mai cardiologist Rungsrit Kanjanavanit said that a 10 micrograms/mil increase in PM 2.5 concentration will reduce life expectancy by 1 year.
Dense smog covers Chiang Mai, Thailand, March 10, 2023. Photo: AFP/TTXVN
Another study by WHO and the International Agency for Research on Cancer IARC showed that if the PM10 density in the air increases by 10 µg/m3, the cancer rate increases by 22%, and if the PM2.5 density increases by 10 µg/m3, the lung cancer rate increases by 36%. That is why fine dust is said to be a "particularly dangerous hidden enemy" of human health.
Not only affecting health, fine dust pollution has a significant impact on the economy and society. According to the environmental organization Greenpeace Southeast Asia, air pollution has claimed the lives of about 160,000 people and caused a total economic loss of about 85 billion USD in the world's five most populous cities in 2020.
Cooperation against smog pollution: The inevitable
According to many experts, the fight against haze pollution is a difficult battle that no single country can do. In fact, that is probably also the reason why Southeast Asian countries have been advocating cooperation to fight haze pollution.
Accordingly, in early August, on August 4, the ASEAN Secretariat organized an online workshop on enhancing coordination and preparedness to respond to transboundary haze pollution. At the workshop, delegates emphasized the importance of inter-sectoral coordination through prioritizing regional solutions, focusing on health strategies and priorities, prevention and control of infectious diseases such as COVID-19.
The workshop reaffirmed ASEAN’s efforts to ensure a haze-free region under the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution; enhanced awareness and preparedness to respond to transboundary haze incidents across sectors and areas; addressed the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the management of forest fires and haze pollution, as well as the potential risk from post-pandemic pressures on peatland ecosystems.
Previously, at the 24th meeting of the Mekong Subregion Ministerial Steering Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution Prevention (MSC 24) held in Singapore in June 2023, MSC countries pledged to remain vigilant, strengthen fire monitoring and haze prevention efforts to minimize the occurrence of transboundary haze during drier periods.
MSC countries also reaffirmed their readiness to provide assistance, such as the deployment of firefighting technical resources in emergency response situations, as well as to enhance coordination to mitigate forest and peatland fires.
The countries reaffirmed their commitment towards the full and effective implementation of the AATHP and looked forward to the completion of the new Roadmap on ASEAN Cooperation towards Transboundary Haze Pollution Control 2023-2030 and the new ASEAN Peatland Management Strategy (APMS) 2023-2030 to comprehensively address the root causes of transboundary haze pollution and promote sustainable development in the region.
The countries also shared the desire to finalize the Investment Framework for Sustainable Land Management and Haze Elimination in Southeast Asia to prioritize haze reduction actions and facilitate the attraction of funding as well as explore the potential for joint programmes and projects among ASEAN countries and other stakeholders; finalize the Agreement on the Establishment of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control (ACC THPC) in Indonesia, as well as continue to cooperate with partners within and outside the region to facilitate better prevention, monitoring, preparedness and response to forest and peatland fires through local, national and regional cooperation frameworks.
Ha Anh
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