Who will defend our right to clean air?

Sadly familiar picture: The muddy image on the left was taken from an aircraft as it flew over an industrial site in Kuching covered in thick haze last week. Singapore has not escaped – the image below is of a shrouded central district last week. — Photos: AFP

IN 2015, several hundred Malaysian students had to be evacuated from Indonesia’s Riau province after the Air Pollutant Index (API) hit a catastrophic 1,000. Many fell sick with sore throats, fever, flu, and cough. The Indonesian government declared a state of emergency, and the Malaysian government brought the students back.

Fast forward 11 years later, Malaysia and neighbouring countries are still suffering from this infamous Indonesian export. This time, open burning in Kalimantan is the main culprit, exacerbated by drought conditions from a “super” El Nino weather cycle.