The
2006 Southeast Asian haze event was caused by continued uncontrolled burning from "
slash and burn" cultivation in
Indonesia, and affected several countries in the
Southeast Asian region and beyond, such as
Malaysia,
Singapore, southern
Thailand, and as far as
Saipan; the effects of the haze may have spread to
South Korea. Local sources of pollution partly contributed to the increased
toxicity, particularly in high-pollution areas such as
ports,
oil refineries, and dense urban areas. In the highly urbanised and industrialised
Klang Valley of Malaysia in particular, the surrounding terrain acted as a natural retainer of polluted air, aggravating the situation when the
haze set in.
There is also a link to
El Niño. The haze was made worse than during previous occurrences by the
El Niño-Southern Oscillation which delayed the year's monsoon season. Fires in Kalimantan produce great amounts of smoke, burn a long time and are difficult to extinguish because they are on
peatland, and once lit the fires can burn for months and release gases that produce
sulfuric acid.
Air quality across the region appeared to improve in late October as heavy rainfall doused fires in Indonesia.
Countries affected
Brunei
Brunei, an independent
sultanate that is surrounded by
East......
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