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Indonesia Uses Dry Ice to Combat Toxic Haze Spreading Across Southeast Asia

6:11 AM ETConfirmed

World Desk

In Short: Four people died fighting blazes in Java island, Indonesia, as toxic smoke from wildfires spread across Southeast Asia, closing schools and fueling a surge of respiratory complaints, authorities said Friday, according to AFP and Arabnews (Saudi Arabia).

The haze has surged to very unhealthy levels in Singapore, reaching around 251 on IQAir's Air Quality Index at around 0400 GMT, Arabnews reported. Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said the city-state will take action under its Transboundary Haze Pollution Act and explore joint action with other countries to address the underlying causes of the haze.

The BBC (United Kingdom) reported that the use of dry ice is being trialed in Palembang and surrounding areas to combat the smog. The fires have been burning in parts of Borneo and Sumatra for the past few weeks, affecting neighboring countries.

According to The Guardian (United Kingdom), the government is testing an unusual new approach to tackle the haze: dry ice. Having tried cloud seeding and water bombing, one pilot project will see dry ice dispersed by plane across the province of South Sumatra.

The haze has turned the skies in Indonesia's Palangkaraya apocalyptic shades of yellow and orange, reducing visibility to a few dozen metres, Khaleejtimes (UAE) reported. In the Indonesian province of central Kalimantan, the ISPU air pollution index exceeded 1,200 – or four times the “hazardous” level of 300, according to The Guardian.

Downtoearth (India) reported that high-intensity wildfires on Indonesia’s Borneo and Sumatra islands are worsening air quality and affecting neighboring countries in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines.

Both Arabnews and the BBC reported that the haze has closed schools and caused a surge in respiratory complaints. Arabnews noted that the haze has led to shortness of breath and business impacts.

The BBC and Downtoearth agreed that the fires have been burning for weeks and are among the worst fire seasons Indonesia has seen since 2015.

The BBC and Downtoearth also reported that the haze has spread to East Timor, prompting a three-day school closure.

The BBC and Downtoearth both noted that the haze has affected millions of people across Southeast Asia, causing acutely unhealthy pollution levels.

The BBC and Downtoearth agreed that the haze has closed schools and caused a surge in respiratory complaints.

The BBC and Downtoearth both reported that the haze has spread to East Timor, prompting a three-day school closure.

The BBC and Downtoearth both noted that the haze has affected millions of people across Southeast Asia, causing acutely unhealthy pollution levels.

Background

What's confirmed

• Four people died on Indonesia's Java island fighting the blazes that have sent toxic smoke across southeast Asia, closed schools and fuelled a surge of respiratory complaints, authorities said Friday.
• "But we will do everything we can to protect Singaporeans, while working with our neighbours to address the underlying causes of the haze." On Friday, the city-state's air pollution surged to around 251 on IQAir's Air Quality Index level into very unhealthy levels at around 0400 GMT.
• So far this year, nearly 300,000 hectares of land have burned in Indonesia, according to an independent estimate from the Nusantara Atlas portal.
• Between January and August this year, more than 210,000 hotspots were detected in peatland areas across the country, according to NGO Pantau Gambut.

What's still developing

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Sources

• AFPlink
• Arabnewslink
• BBClink
• Khaleejtimeslink
• BBClink
• Kyivpostlink
• The Hollywood Reporterlink
• Animenewsnetworklink
• Efinancialcareerslink
• Independentlink
• Englishlink
• A-Z-Animalslink
• Downtoearthlink
• Dailycorinthianlink
• Varietylink
• WarpBeat — background on Indonesia fights fire with dry ice as toxic haze spreads across region link
• TRT World — video link