Haze affects Davao Region

Haze from the forest fires in Indonesia have reached Davao Region.

This was the confirmation made by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) Davao Region in a radio interview Monday morning.

Ben Rosales, weather observer of Pagasa Davao, said that the haze affecting Davao was brought by the monsoon winds blowing northeast from fires in Indonesia towards the direction of the Philippines.

Since October 3, Cebu has been experiencing haze. Davao has started experiencing haze since last week.

At least eight of the ten countries in the ASEAN region have been affected by the haze, including southern Thailand and Vietnam, and most parts of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The haze affecting Cambodia and Philippines is also suspected to have arisen from Indonesian rather than local sources.

Indonesia has struggled for years to contain forest fires, especially in the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan.

The fires are caused by firms and farmers who engage in illegal slash-and-burn practices as a relatively inexpensive means of clearing land. Sumatra and Kalimantan possess large area of peatland, which is highly combustible during dry season. The haze has been particularly severe this year due to the El Niño phenomenon which has caused drier conditions, allowing the fires to spread more.

Leave a Reply