ASEAN Secretariat - The report is compiled by the ASEAN Secretariat based on feedback from relevant ASEAN Member Countries and will be updated on a regular basis.


Report of Current Situation

No significant hotspots were detected over central Sumatra as it was covered by clouds. Scattered hotspots seen over western Borneo and Kalimantan.

In Brunei Darussalam, one (1) bush fire was reported on 28 August 2006, affecting 0.05 hectares of land. The air quality was within good level with PSI ranged from 19 - 24.

Reduced number of hotspots in Sumatra and Borneo were detected by the NOAA 12 as shown in the following table:

The distribution of hotspots in Indonesia is detailed in the following table:

NOAA 12 detected 160 hotspots in Kalimantan, however, NOAA 12 could only detected 5 hotspots in Sumatra , due to cloud cover. No smoke haze was observed both in Kalimantan and Sumatra . Most fires occurred within the abandoned areas of the ex-plantation. Most fires occurred in peat land. Most fires were inaccessible, and water sources were difficult to find. Moderate air qualities were recorded in Rumbai (54), Minas (76) and Duri (56) of Riau Province . The visibilities in Pontianak (West Kalimantan) and Palangka Raya ( Central Kalimantan ) were 1 and 3 km, respectively.

No fires were detected in Singapore. PSI reading was within good level (45). Visibilities in both Changi and Seletar airports were 10 km. There are chances of showers in the next three days.

All air quality monitoring stations in the southern part of Thailand recorded good air quality, i.e. Surat Thani (18), Phuket (47), Songkhla (50), Narathiwat (35), Satun (20) and Yala (27). The visibilities in this part of Thailand were within the range of 10 – 12 km.

Based on FDRS reading, all fine fuels will easily ignite, potentially resulting in many fires in parts of Viet Nam , parts of southern Sumatra, and parts of southern Borneo. In mixed fuels, severe drought conditions and high-intensify fires can occur in parts of southern Borneo. Moderate intensity fires can occur in parts of southern Sumatra. Peat areas will produce widespread and severe haze from deep and long-burning fires in parts of southern Viet Nam, and parts of southern Borneo. Persistent smouldering in natural peat areas and severe haze are likely in parts of southern Borneo. Drought conditions in peat areas and high-intensity fires are possible in parts of Sumatra, and parts of Borneo. Smouldering in drained peat areas is possible in Thailand, Lao PDR, parts of Viet Nam, parts of Peninsular Malaysia, parts of Sumatra, and parts of Borneo.


Resources Mobilised and Actions Taken

Department of Environment Parks and Recreation of Brunei Darussalam continues monitoring the quality of air. Fire Service Department of Brunei Darussalam also continues to conduct air and ground surveillance for any fires incidence. Department of Civil Aviation of Brunei Darussalam also continues in providing information on weather situation.

The Indonesia Government offered incentives to the farmers in fire-prone areas in Sumatra and Kalimantan. The Government of Indonesia also plan to conduct cloud seeding operation in Sumatra and Kalimantan. The Indonesian National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN) continues to provide information on weather situation and fire danger information. Investigations upon companies in Riau and West Kalimantan provinces whom suspected for doing open burning are ongoing.

In Singapore, an Inter-Ministry Haze Task Force Meeting was held on 19 May 2006 to update members on the regional weather and haze situation and assessment for the next few months. A media briefing to update on the latest weather and haze situation in the region was also held on 19 July 2006. Four (4) officers from NEA made a fact finding trip to Pelalawan, Rokan Hilir and Bengkalis from 19-22 June 06 to review the ground situation in order to ascertain the technical requirements for the air and weather monitoring stations. An officer from the NEA was deployed to Riau , Indonesia for the period of 9-11 August 2006, following the activation of the Level 3 Alert.