Brunei On 23 June, the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) in Singapore detected 642 hotspots, which were scattered mostly in parts of central and west Borneo that caused a haze in
Brunei and other parts of Borneo. By 21 June, The Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation of Brunei said the PSI readings were "relatively higher than normal", but air pollution levels were still considered "moderate" as the PSI readings in
Brunei were still below 100.
Belait recorded the highest PSI reading (98), followed by Temburong (94), Tutong (92), and Brunei-Muara (65), which was the lowest. On 24 June, haze in Brunei remained unchanged with PSI readings in Brunei-Muara at a good 43, Belait at a moderate 75, Temburong at a moderate 72 and Tutong at a moderate 73. However, "moderate" levels were still recorded on Tutong (70) and Belait (64). The public was also advised to regularly check the PSI (Pollutant Standard Index), follow the health advisory and seek treatment if they felt unwell because of haze.
Pollutant Standard Index readings Indonesia In
Pekanbaru, capital of
Riau province, where the majority of hotspots were located, visibility dropped and a number of Pekanbaru residents complained that the haze was affecting their health, and
Sultan Syarif Kasim II Airport had to be closed for several hours, causing several flights to be diverted to nearby airports such as
Polonia International Airport,
Medan or to
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Flights to and from
Pinang Kampai Airport of
Dumai were also suspended by the authorities because of poor visibility. The PSI in
Dumai hit 492 on the morning of 21 June 2013. However, because of the wind patterns, most parts of Indonesia were not hit by the haze. Earlier on 22 June, Indonesian government blamed eight companies, including Jakarta-based
PT Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology (SMART) and
Asia Pacific Resources International (APRIL), for the fires. Later on 22 June, Environment Minister Balthasar Kambuaya revealed that at least 20 plantation companies operating in Riau were suspected to have caused land and forest fires, of which 8 were Malaysian: PT Langgam Inti Hiberida, PT Bumi Rakksa Sejati, PT Tunggal Mitra Plantation, PT Udaya Loh Dinawi, PT Adei Plantation, PT Jatim Jaya Perkasa, PT Multi Gambut Industri and PT Mustika Agro Lestari. However, following a meeting in Indonesia between Balthasar and Palanivel, only four of the companies were from Malaysia and the companies had denied any involvement in the fires. Other local companies detected were PT Siak Seraya, PT Kimia Tirta Utama, PT Inti Indo Sawit Subur, Village Unit Cooperatives (KUD) Dayus Mas, PT Padasa Enam Utama, PT Kartayatam Bhakti Mulia, PT Langgam Inti Hibrindo, PT Riau Sakti Trans, PT Raja Garuda Masa Sejati, PT Sabira Negeri Utama, PT Guntung Hasrat Makmur, PT Panca Surya Agrindo, PT Bumi Reksa Nusa Sejati, PT Surya Bratasena Plantation, PT Adei Crumb Rubber, PT Rokan Adi Raya, Cooperatives 13 Anak Suku Bonai, PT Karyatama Bhakti Muli and PT Agroraya Gematrans. In Dumai, one of the worst-affected regencies in Riau, visibility was reduced to less than 500m after the PSI hit a hazardous record of 900. This was the highest in any haze crisis and three times above the minimum "Hazardous" level. The number increased to 23 on 1 July, after another six farmers were arrested for carrying out illegal slash-and-burn activities. On 21 July, thick haze blanketed Dumai again because of the sudden increase in the number of hotspots, with visibility at street level dropping to below 200m. It earmarked around 200 billion rupiah (around US$20M, S$25.6M at the time) to handle the disaster and deployed seven military aircraft for water bombings and cloud-seeding to fight raging forest fires on 21 June 2013. The Agriculture Minister
Suswono stated that an investigation has been launched to find the firms responsible for the air pollution, and agreed to publish the names of the firms if they were proven guilty. Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan said the government would not tolerate companies burning land and bushes that caused the haze shrouding Riau and its surroundings. Companies which are proved to have used slash-and-burn to clear land would be acted upon firmly. The government assigned the
National Police to handle the legal process and make sanctions against firms behind forest fires. First Lieutenant Fajar Gusthana, one of those who did the cloud-seeding, said that it was difficult as there were very few clouds, and the clouds were generally quite thin. He also said that there were no clouds directly above the hotspots, which made it harder for them to carry out the cloud-seeding. On 27 June, Indonesia said that it would start larger scale water-bombing in one week. Indonesia planned to do this with the help of rented Russian Kamov helicopters with belly tanks that could carry 8,000 litres of water, compared with Indonesian helicopters carrying 500 litres. Indonesia switched into preventive mode on 1 July, after it had successfully put out most of the fires, although fires were still raging underground in the
peatland. To enable itself to respond faster and extinguish the fires before they got out of control again, Indonesia increased night patrols. Water-bombing and cloud-seeding aircraft were placed on standby. Indonesia has said that the standby aircraft should be able to respond quickly to the fires and fly out immediately to
Jambi,
South Sumatra, and
Lampung in
Sumatra, as well as four provinces in
Kalimantan on
Borneo. Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Dr Agus Wibowo said that Indonesia expects fires to affect seven other provinces as well, as the dry season was not at its peak yet and was expected to continue until October. A statement from Indonesia's disaster management agency on 22 July said that there were a total of 6 aeroplanes on standby for cloud seeding, while soldiers were also placed on standby to help fight any fires that occurred. In Pekanbaru, the provincial capital of Riau, there were more than 22 water-bombing operations carried out. However, there was only one cloud-seeding operation conducted, as there were insufficient clouds over Pekanbaru to make rain.
Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia The haze that affected Malaysia was the worst since 2005, starting with the
Air Pollution Index (API) hitting 172 on 19 June. On 17 June, there were only two areas recording unhealthy API values, a reduction from six areas on 16 June. According to the Malaysian Department of Environment, the two areas were
Kemaman,
Terengganu (118) and Balok Baru,
Kuantan,
Pahang (110). On 20 June, the haze in Malaysia worsened. Johor and Malacca remained the worst-affected states. In Johor, Muar recorded a hazardous reading (383) at 11am, which was one of the worst among the readings.
Kota Tinggi was the second worst, hitting a
Very unhealthy reading of 232. In Malacca, an
API reading of 137 was recorded in Malacca City exceeding the
Unhealthy API. Readings in other parts of Malaysia ranged from
Good to
Unhealthy. A day later, the Malaysian Meteorological Department predicted that the haze would not dissipate until 26 June, when
Tropical Storm Bebinca was expected to be blown from the southwest, bringing strong winds and dry weather to carry the smog from Sumatra over to West Malaysia. The Johor State Health Department reported the number of citizens with upper respiratory tract ailments increased by at least 21%. On 23 June, the
Air Pollution Index (API) in Muar, Johor spiked to 746 at 7am which was almost 2.5 times the lower end of the
Hazardous level thus resulting in the declaration of a state of emergency in Muar and Ledang (which was afterwards lifted on 25 June in the morning), leaving the towns in virtual shutdown. It was also almost 450 more than the minimum range of the
Hazardous level. Even though the haze had cleared off a bit in the southern parts of the nation,
Port Klang recorded a
Very unhealthy series of API values which reached the
Hazardous range with a reading of 487 in the morning of 25 June. The drifting smoke from the south also caused other places in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur to be blanketed by thick smog, resulting in the API coming very close to entering the
Hazardous level.
Seri Manjung in Perak which is 200 km away from Port Klang was also hit hard by the haze. Visibility remained poor in Kuala Lumpur and several other states. Malaysians were able to breathe easier when the overnight rain in numerous parts of the west coast helped to clear the skies. There was a significant drop in the API values in most areas, including Port Klang since 26 June. The haze crisis is believed to have claimed its first life, a diabetic woman from
Muar who was suffering from
asthma. Another casualty was an elderly man, also from the same town. Both deaths were reported early in the week. On 29 June, the improvement in API readings continued, with the PSI readings hovering in the
Good and
Moderate ranges. At 5pm, the worst PSI readings were in the
Moderate range, recorded in
Kota Tinggi and
Bukit Rambai, at 81 and 86 respectively. On 22 July, the haze conditions in Selangor, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan worsened. Johor also got hit by the haze. Bukit Rambai remained the worst hit of all, with an unhealthy API of 135, the worst since the haze returned, recorded there. Muar, Malacca City, Banting, and Kuala Lumpur also recorded unhealthy readings. On 23 July, the haze conditions changed again. At 8am, API readings in Port Klang was 105, 116 in Bukit Rambai and 115 in Muar. Visibility at several Malaysian airports was reduced by the haze, which travelled northwards to the northern states of
Terengganu,
Kelantan and
Penang. In Terengganu, visibility at the
Sultan Mahmud Airport in
Kuala Terengganu was reduced to 3 km in the evening, while visibility at
Kerteh Airport was reduced to 6 km. In Penang, the
Penang International Airport in
Bayan Lepas also had visibility reduced to 6 km. However, in Kelantan, visibility at the
Sultan Ismail Petra Airport in
Kota Baru was at a safe 10 km.
Petaling Jaya and
Subang, both in Selangor, were also hit by poor visibility at around noon, but it gradually improved to reach 6 km and 9 km respectively. The haze was expected to ease over
Johor,
Pahang,
Klang Valley, Muar, Malacca City and
Manjung on 25 July, where rain was expected. On 24 July, Ipoh, Tanjung Malim, and Perai recorded unhealthy API levels in the afternoon, at 106 (4pm), 101 (5pm) and 102 (1pm and 2pm) respectively. API readings for the day were mostly moderate in Malaysia, although a few areas recorded good readings. On 25 July, the haze continued to be blown towards the northern parts of Malaysia. Air quality in most parts of Malaysia were in the
Moderate range for the day. The worst hit areas were
Ipoh, the state capital of
Perak, and
Seberang Jaya, in
Penang, where unhealthy API levels were recorded in the afternoon. The highest API reading of the day, 106, was recorded in Ipoh at 4pm. On 26 July, Bukit Rambai (Malacca), Seri Manjung (Perak), Port Klang (Selangor) and Perai (Penang) were worst affected, with the highest API readings at 82 (11pm), 87 (12am), 84 (12am) and 87 (12am). On 27 July, air quality in many parts of Malaysia returned to the
Good range, although some remained in the
Moderate range. From 12am to 5am, most of the API readings were in the lower part of the
Moderate range. However, Bukit Rambai, Seri Manjung, Port Klang and Ipoh remained the worst affected areas, with a highest API reading of 83 (multiple times in the morning), 79 (2am and 3am) and 78 (2am and 3am) respectively. Ipoh's API almost entered the
Unhealthy range, recording the worst reading of the day, 99, at 3pm. This was only one point away from the "Unhealthy" range, in which even the slightest increase could result in the entering of the "Unhealthy" range. On 28 July, air quality remained in the
Moderate range in many parts of Malaysia during the day, although most areas recorded good readings in the early morning. Bukit Rambai's air quality remained in the
Moderate range for the whole day. Its worst reading was 82, recorded at 10pm and 11pm. In Negeri Sembilan,
Seremban was worst-affected, recording a moderate 84 at 4pm. Ipoh's worst reading was a moderate 92, also at 4pm. Selangor, which included the capital state of
Wilayah Persekutuan, was worst-hit.
Petaling Jaya,
Putrajaya, and the
Cheras area of
Kuala Lumpur all recorded unhealthy API levels. Cheras was worst affected, with air quality remaining unhealthy from 2pm to 6pm. Its highest reading, 139, was recorded at 5pm, the worst reading of the day in Malaysia. Petaling Jaya's air quality was unhealthy from 3 to 4pm, recording 105 at 3pm. Putrajaya only breached the 100 mark for an hour, recording 101 at 5pm. On 29 July, Bukit Rambai, Seremban, Banting, Port Klang, Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya and
Shah Alam were worst hit. Excluding KL, their worst readings were 84 (11pm), 95 (4pm), 82 (10pm), 92 (11pm), 81 (10–11pm) and 80 (11pm). The Batu Muda area of KL recorded its worst reading of 83 from 2pm to 6pm. The Cheras area of KL recorded readings in the lower part of the
Moderate range for most part of the day, but was the only place to breach the
Unhealthy range, when an API reading of 102 was recorded at 1pm. On 30 July, Bukit Rambai was worst affected, with the API constantly remaining in the 80s. Its worst reading was 85, recorded at 12am.
Tanjung Malim recorded 81 at 3pm, after a sudden spike from a good 48 the previous hour, although it dropped to 52 at 4pm. Port Klang recorded the worst reading of the day, 92, at 12am. However, air quality in the other badly affected areas of the previous day improved. On 31 July, Bukit Rambai remained the worst affected area. API readings there hovered in the 80s, although occasionally dropping to the upper 70s, like the past few days. The highest reading was 84, at 10am. That was also the highest reading for the day in Malaysia. Port Klang's API readings rose from the 50s in the early morning to 77 (5–9pm). For most of the day, it was in the 70s. API readings in some other areas like
Kemaman in Terrenganu, Banting, Malacca City and Muar were in the 60s for most of the day. Tanjung Malim's air quality was good for most of the day, but spiked suddenly to reach 72 at 3pm, and 75 an hour later. It gradually decreased and returned to the
Good range at 8pm. On 1 August, Bukit Rambai remained the worst-affected. API readings there dropped gradually during the morning, reaching 68 at 11am, the lowest recorded there for many days already. However, it then increased quickly for the rest of the day, breaching the 80 mark at 3pm. At 4pm, API was 90. As of 10pm, the API was 92. The highest API for the day in Bukit Rambai was 93, recorded at 9pm. That was also the highest reading of the day in Malaysia.
Port Dickson's air quality remained between 52 and 70 for most of the day. However, it suddenly increased to 78 at 3pm and 83 at 4pm, before dropping an hour later. In Kuala Lumpur, air quality was mainly in the 50s. But in the Cheras area of KL, API readings soared to 71 at 2pm, then to 86 at 3pm, 77 at 4pm, before returning to the 50s. In
Seremban, air quality hovered around 60 for most of the day, although at 3pm, a reading of 80 was recorded. On 2 August, the haze still hit Bukit Rambai the hardest. In the early morning, the API readings continued rising up the 90s, hitting 100 at 5am. That meant it was at the top of the "Moderate" range and even if it were to increase by only 1, that's it and it would enter the "Unhealthy" range. At 6am, the API reading entered the
Unhealthy range, hovering between 101 and 105. The highest reading, 105, was recorded at noon. At 3pm, the air quality was back in the
Moderate range, and subsided gradually. At 9pm, it was 84. However, instead of Bukit Rambai, it was Tanjung Malim which recorded the worst reading of the day, 114, at 5pm. That was also the highest in Malaysia. Like the past few days, Tanjung Malim's air quality was
Good for most of the day, only spiking for a few hours each day. The air quality there entered the
Moderate range at 2pm, and returned to the
Good range at 8pm. Other than the above two locations, Kemaman, Port Dickson, Seremban, Nilai and Malacca City also recorded air quality in the 70s for a few hours.
Malaysian Borneo On 20 June, the API index in
Sabah was moderate, with
Kota Kinabalu at 74,
Keningau, 66 and Sandakan, 42. On 22 June, the hazy condition in Sabah and
Labuan became worse when the index in several areas had risen. Keningau registered a reading of 98 at 11am, while Kota Kinabalu with 91 and Labuan 97. In
Sarawak, the API entered the moderate range on 20 June, with readings of 72 in
Miri and 55 in
Kapit and
Sri Aman. In addition, sixteen hot spots were detected on 18 June with
Mukah having the most with five and
Sarikei, three. Big plantation companies had been accused of being the major cause of haze in the state.
Measures taken The organisers of the Olympic Day Run,
McDonald's Malaysia and
Olympic Council of Malaysia announced on 20 June the postponement of the 10th annual Run scheduled for 23 June amid health fears. As of 23 June, more than 600 schools closed in areas of Johor where the
Air Pollution Index (API) readings had exceeded the hazardous point of 300. Schools in areas with the API reaching 150 were advised to avoid outdoor activities. While the 2013 Johor Rugby Carnival had to be deferred until further notice, a directive was given to cancel all outdoor activities in the
Malaysian National Service (PLKN) training camps in affected areas with
Unhealthy API readings. The Department of Environment issued a ban against open burning in Selangor, Malacca and Johor; those convicted would face fines of not more than RM500,000 (S$199,400), a maximum imprisonment of five years, or both according to Section 29AA(2) of the Environmental Quality (Amendment) Act 2001. Malaysia's Prime Minister
Najib Razak advised the public to reduce outdoor activities while the haze was still present. On 23 June, he declared a
state of emergency in two southern districts, Muar and Ledang after the API values increased badly. The emergency status was later lifted on 25 June, Tuesday morning. On 23 June, Malaysia's Natural Resources and Environment Minister, Datuk Seri
G. Palanivel pronounced the closure of all schools in
Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Malacca on 24 June as a precautionary step. A total of 480 government-run kindergartens in Malacca were told to stop classes. Operators of private kindergartens and pre-schools were urged to follow suit by the
state government of Malacca. Schools in
Port Dickson and Kuantan were shut down as ordered by the respective state governments. In Johor Bahru, a number of schools remained temporarily closed while 300 schools in other parts of
Johor were allowed to operate again as usual. The next day,
Pizza Hut Malaysia also temporarily halted delivery services for their Muar and Port Klang branches to ensure the riders' safety because of the worsening haze. They resumed delivery services in Muar a day later. On 25 June, Malaysia's Education Minister,
Muhyiddin Yassin said that parents had the discretion not to send their children to school in fear of health problems as long as they informed the relevant school authorities, as schools in some states were starting to reopen. The
Department of Environment (DOE) began updating the API readings on an hourly basis. They were made available for public access on both the department's official website and portal. The haze forced the opening ceremony of the 13th
Parliament session in Kuala Lumpur to be held indoors for the first time in Malaysian history.
Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah did the customary inspection of the guard-of-honour at the banquet hall of the Parliament building.
G. Palanivel was scheduled to meet his Indonesian counterpart to discuss the situation while Malaysian and Singaporean officials sought to move forward a meeting of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) haze committee to the following week instead of August. The Premier League newcomers,
Cardiff City F.C. also postponed their six-day promotional tour of Malaysia in the week because of the air pollution crisis. Concurrently, all orders to shut schools in the nation were withdrawn by 27 June, though outdoor activities were to remain cancelled in some parts of the country. On 28 June, the
Shell Eco-marathon that was planned to be held in
Kuala Lumpur on 4–7 July was cancelled because of worsening air quality. Upon the return of the haze in mid-July, the Penang state government prepared 200,000 face masks to be distributed to the people, especially school children, pregnant women, motorcyclists and pillion riders. before air quality worsened and remained in the
Unhealthy range for a few days.
Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) first hit levels unseen in 16 years when a PSI of 155 was recorded at 10pm. on 17 June 2013. The highest in the 16 years of the haze was finally broken. However, the 10pm. reading was released 57 minutes late at 10:57pm. and the reading soon decreased to 282 at 11pm, and 218 at 12am, both of which are in the
Very unhealthy range. At 1pm. on 20 June 2013, the 3-hour PSI reading reached record levels once again with a reading of 371 in the
Hazardous range, a jump from 299 an hour ago, which was only one point shy of the "Hazardous" level. The PM2.5 concentration also reached 300 for the first time in the nation's history. At 11am on 21 June 2013, another new all-time high was recorded, with a PSI of 400. The new record was broken again at 12pm, with the PSI remaining in the
Hazardous range at 401. As with prior haze events, this strained ties between Indonesia and Singapore, with Indonesia swiftly pushing the blame for the haze to Singapore and Malaysia, which invested in palm oil firms in the area of the burning. The Prime Minister of Singapore,
Lee Hsien Loong, as well as
Vivian Balakrishnan, the Singaporean Minister of Environment and Water Resources, expressed concern over the haze and called on Indonesia to do more to resolve the issue. However, Indonesian officials became irate at the demands, and on Thursday Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Agung Laksono accused Singapore of acting "like a child." In response, Singapore's Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong responded that "the Singapore Child is being suffocated", borrowing the same descriptor to highlight the nation's innocence yet vulnerability in the haze crisis. While
cloud seeding was suggested to get rid of the haze, Singapore's meteorological service found it not possible because of insufficient cloud cover. Initially,
face masks were sold out in major drugstores and other retailers because of strong demand, although the
Ministry of Health subsequently reassured the public that restocks were being distributed from its armoury of close to nine million N95 masks. More than 4 million masks were distributed after that, with 1 million masks to constituencies and the remaining 3 million to retailers. The
Manpower Ministry refrained from issuing a stop-work order, saying that the
Government would do so only if the haze worsened severely. On 22 June 2013, the haze started giving way to clear skies as the PSI dropped from 326 at 10am in the
Hazardous range to 73 at 5pm in the
Moderate range. The next day, the improvement was sustained in the morning, with the PSI in the
Moderate range. The improvement in the air quality was due to a change in the direction of the low level winds over Singapore, from south-westerly to southerly. As dry conditions and winds blowing from the southwest or west persisted, the 24-hour PSI reading for the rest of the day was expected to be in the
Moderate range. However, in the night the PSI reached 102, which is in the
Unhealthy range, in the west. The readings increased as the night passed. In the late afternoon of 25 June 2013, thunderstorms accompanied by strong, gusty winds drenched many parts of Singapore with heavy rain and hailstones even fell in the western part of Singapore. The storms were a welcome respite, after Singapore had endured a week of record-breaking haze and no rain. There was a huge decrease in the PSI. Singapore's Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Dr Vivian Balakrishnan assured Singaporeans that Singapore's water quality had not been affected by the haze. On 30 June 2013, a morning shower caused a significant decrease in the 3-hour PSI readings. The PSI had dropped into the
Good range. However, PM2.5 concentrations for the past few days had remained unhealthy, and this was predicted to continue into the coming days. On 1 July, the PSI readings remained in the
Good range for most of the day. The highest PSI readings of the day were 49–53 (
Moderate). PSI readings on 2 and 3 July were also in the
Good range. On 5 July 2013, a PSI reading of 6 was recorded – the lowest reading since the haze started blowing towards Singapore. Despite Malaysia getting hit by the haze on 21 and 22 July, Singapore remained relatively unaffected, as the winds were mainly blowing from the south or southeast. On 31 July, the PSI reached a high of 44,
Measures taken Over the first four days of the haze, the government and other institutions implemented a series of safety precautions meant to reduce exposure to the haze. Most were focused on restricting outdoor activities. Schools and childcare centres began restricting outdoor activities. It was announced that should the haze situation worsen, schools would be closed and the Ministry of Manpower Singapore might issue a stop-work order; the Ministry of Education declared all school activities in June cancelled on 21 June 2013. In addition, talks with Indonesia were initiated. The Singapore Government distributed a few hundred thousand respirators to households without the means to purchase their own, while the country's top Islam board gave the green light for Muslims to not attend Friday prayer at mosques should they deem fit.
Pollutant Standard Index readings 75). For the updating styles, formats, and wikicode, refer to above tables.-->
Southern Thailand As of 25 June, the haze affected
Southern Thailand according to the Thai News Agency. The haze affected the
Yala Province first, causing irritation to the locals but not affecting visibility on the road. A day later, the haze in
Pattani,
Yala and
Satun thickened and caused poor visibility on the road. Among the seven Southern Thailand provinces affected by the haze,
Narathiwat was hit the worst, with
particulate matter levels there reaching 129 μg/m3, a level which is considered adverse to health.
Measures taken The provincial public health offices have advised the public to wear a face mask and avoid any outdoor activities. ==Reactions==