Friday, June 21, 2013

20130621 BBC_Singapore haze hits record high from Indonesia fires

BBC_Singapore haze hits record high from Indonesia fires

Pollution levels soared for a third day in a row in Singapore, as smoky haze from fires in Indonesia shrouded the city state.
The Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) hit 401 at 12:00 on Friday (04:00 GMT) - the highest in Singapore's history.
Indonesia has said it is unfair to blame it solely for the forest fires.
Schools in parts of Malaysia and Indonesia have closed temporarily.
A PSI reading above 300 is defined as "hazardous", while Singapore government guidelines say a PSI reading of above 400 sustained for 24 hours "may be life-threatening to ill and elderly persons".
There are also reports of flight delays affecting both Singapore's Changi airport and Riau province in Indonesia.
The fires are caused by illegal slash-and-burn land clearance in Sumatra, to the west of Singapore.

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