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Singapore offers assistance to Indonesia, M’sia to combat haze

SINGAPORE — In anticipation of the coming dry season, Singapore has offered assistance to Indonesia and Malaysia to combat possible land and forest fires, the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) said yesterday.

SINGAPORE — In anticipation of the coming dry season, Singapore has offered assistance to Indonesia and Malaysia to combat possible land and forest fires, the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) said yesterday.

The ministry said haze from such fires during the traditional dry season from June to October has been a “perennial problem” in the southern South-east Asian region in the past decade. This is due mainly to illegal land clearing and slash-and-burn agricultural practices in Indonesia, particularly Sumatra and Kalimantan, it said.

The MEWR said it offered the same assistance package as those it had extended to Indonesia in previous years. It includes a C-130 aircraft for cloud-seeding operations, up to two C-130 aircraft to ferry firefighting assistance teams from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), an SCDF team to assist its Indonesian counterpart in firefighting efforts, high-resolution satellite pictures and hot-spot coordinates.

Singapore experienced its worst episode of haze last year when the three-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) hit a record high of 401 on June 21. In March this year, Singapore was affected by transboundary haze from Malaysia, with the 24-hour PSI entering the moderate range and reaching a high of 75 on March 12.

“We hope this (assistance) will help to prevent another episode of severe haze in the region,” the MEWR said.

Asked whether the offers have been taken up and whether Singapore was prepared to provide more help if needed, the MEWR said: “We have just made the offer. It’s a standing offer and we would happy to assist if they find it helpful. We have regular interactions with our counterparts and will stay in touch with them.”

CHANNEL NEWSASIA

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