Indonesian fires shroud smokey Malaysia

August is the time of year when Indonesian farmers in Sumatra burn the waste from the harvest to clear fields for future crops. According to Malaysia’s environment department, there are over 500 fires burning right now in Sumatra, and the smokey shroud that it creates drifts across the Straits of Malacca, to Peninsula Malaysia.

Flying Malaysia Airlines last week, I noticed the thick haze from the plane. We decended through a high level cloud layer, only to look down on a ground-hugging’ smoke layer. Residents of KL have to put up with this annually and it is one of the many environmental problems this region has. Crop burning goes on all over SE Asia, and the rampant deforestation is to blame also, with farmers eager to clear land for farming.

Here in Bali, farmers tend to burn remains of the past growing cycle and use chemical additives to enhance soil makeup. Years ago they used to burn less, and plough the waste back into the soil. Modern rice means a Balinese farmer can get 4 crops a year, no time for hanging around, but fortunately we do not suffer from smog