Hotspots, peat fires and palm oil: Why tracing Malaysia’s haze is so complicated

The article highlights the resurgence of haze in Malaysia due to forest and land fires, with the primary focus on regional cooperation to address the issue.

Malaysia has extended firefighting assistance to Indonesia, including aircraft and personnel, to combat transboundary haze, emphasizing the principle of aid without interference.

The persistent haze draws attention to factors like weather patterns, human activities, and the controversial role of the palm oil industry.

Prevention and effective land management are underscored as essential measures alongside collaborative firefighting efforts in resolving the haze problem.

PUTRAJAYA, Sept 20 — The return of the haze across parts of Malaysia has once again brought forest and land fires in the region into focus.

But as smoke spreads and satellite images light up with hotspots, the question of where the fires are and what caused them is not as straightforward as it may appear.

Malaysia’s response this time includes an offer of firefighting assistance to Indonesia, which reflects the fact that the haze does not stop at national borders.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Thursday said Malaysia had offered a Bombardier CL-415MP aircraft, three helicopters and 52 officers and personnel from the National Disaster Management Agency, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and the Royal Malaysian Air Force.

The offer was conveyed to Indonesian vice-president Gibran Rakabuming Raka during his four-day working visit to Indonesia. It will be referred to President Prabowo Subianto for approval.

The CL-415MP, operated by MMEA, is capable of aerial firefighting. It was previously deployed to South Sumatra in 2015, when it dropped 546,000 litres of water during a five-day operation.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also the National Disaster Management Committee chairman, said the offer to assist was to help Indonesia tackle transboundary haze, rather than interfering in its affairs.

The urgency is clear from the air quality readings in Malaysia.

As at 5pm on Friday, 32 areas recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings.

According to the Malaysian Air Pollutant Index Management System portal, Johan Setia in Selangor recorded the highest reading at 183, followed by Shah Alam (169), Petaling Jaya (162), Banting (161) and Klang (159).

Sarawak recorded the highest number of affected areas, with Kuching recording an API reading of 174, followed by Samarahan (167), IPD Serian (166), Sibu (162), Bintulu (161), Sarikei (155), Sri Aman (154) and Kapit (153).

Putrajaya recorded an unhealthy reading of 172, while Batu Muda and Cheras recorded 167 and 165, respectively. Temerloh and Jerantut in Pahang recorded 155 and 151.

An API reading of 0 to 50 indicates good air quality; 51 to 100, moderate; 101 to 200, unhealthy; 201 to 300, very unhealthy; and 301 and above, hazardous.

For the public, the immediate concern is the smoke. For those trying to trace the fires, however, the picture is more complicated.

Indonesia was reported as saying that it was complying with Asean’s existing haze response mechanisms, including daily reporting of hotspot data, projected smoke movements and firefighting measures.

Asean activated a Level 3 alert for severe transboundary haze on August 26. Under the mechanism, member states share information to help neighbouring countries take precautionary measures.

At the same time, the haze has once again revived questions about the role of the palm oil industry in regional fires.

The Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), however, said regional forest and peat fires could not be attributed primarily to oil-palm cultivation, with satellite mapping currently showing hotspots across multiple land uses.

These, it said, include unmanaged areas, pulpwood plantations and small-scale farming plots.

Director-General (DG) Datuk Badrul Hisham Mohd said human land-clearing activities remained a major driver of fires, while severe climate anomalies such as El Niño could amplify their spread.

“From a scientific standpoint, El Niño and prolonged dry weather act strictly as environmental amplifiers, not the spark itself,” he told Bernama.

That distinction matters when looking at the fires.

Badrul Hisham said wildfires did not occur spontaneously in the region’s humid climate, with ignition generally associated with human activity.

Prolonged dry weather, however, reduces soil and vegetation moisture, allowing fires to spread more rapidly.

The problem becomes harder to manage in peat areas, where drained peat can dry out and burn below the surface.

Badrul Hisham said this can make fires difficult to detect and extinguish.

“Once ignited, peat fires can continue smouldering underground and may reignite even after surface fires appear to have been brought under control.

“The resulting emissions can continue for weeks or months and, depending on wind direction, contribute to prolonged transboundary haze,” he said.

When fire risk rises

The newly-appointed DG also stressed that the Malaysian oil palm industry should not be described as having a seasonal open-burning practice because zero burning has already been established within the industry through the mandatory Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) Certification Scheme, enforced since January 2020.

It is the risk of fire that changes with the seasons, he said.

That risk generally increases during prolonged dry periods, particularly from June to September during the southwest monsoon, while some regions also experience a dry window around January and February.

Lower rainfall, declining soil and peat moisture and higher temperatures during these periods make accidental or unauthorised ignition more likely to spread, with El Niño capable of further intensifying the risk.

There is also a need to be careful when reading satellite hotspot maps.

A hotspot is an indicator of possible fire. It is not, by itself, proof of open burning or evidence of someone starting a fire.

“That distinction matters, because a hotspot can identify where a fire may be occurring, but not necessarily who started it, or what land use is involved.

“For Malaysia and Indonesia, therefore, the immediate challenge is twofold: containing the fires and improving the ability to identify their causes,” he said.

For now, Malaysia’s offer of aircraft, helicopters and personnel is focused on putting out fires.

But the wider haze problem is unlikely to be solved by firefighting alone.

Prevention, land management and early detection remain part of the equation, as does cooperation between countries sharing the same airspace and, at times, the same smoke.

The palm oil debate will continue, particularly whenever the haze returns.

Therefore, satellite hotspots alone cannot settle that debate. Fires occur across different types of land, and weather conditions can determine how quickly they spread and how long they persist.

That makes identifying the actual source and cause of each fire just as important as putting it out.

For Malaysia, Indonesia and the wider region, that may be the more difficult part of dealing with the haze. — Bernama

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文章重点介绍了马来西亚因森林和土地火灾而再次出现雾霾的情况，并着重强调了区域合作解决这一问题的重要性。

马来西亚已向印度尼西亚提供消防援助，包括飞机和人员，以应对跨境烟霾，强调援助而不干涉的原则。

持续的雾霾使人们注意到天气模式、人类活动以及棕榈油产业所扮演的备受争议的角色等因素。

预防和有效的土地管理被强调为解决雾霾问题的重要措施，同时还需要协同开展消防工作。

布城，9月20日讯——马来西亚部分地区再次出现雾霾，这再次引发人们对该地区森林和土地火灾的关注。

但随着烟雾蔓延，卫星图像上出现热点，火灾发生在哪里以及起火原因的问题并不像看起来那么简单。

马来西亚此次的回应包括向印度尼西亚提供消防援助，这反映出雾霾不会止步于国界。

马来西亚副首相拿督斯里阿末扎希周四表示，马来西亚已向巴基斯坦提供了一架庞巴迪CL-415MP飞机、三架直升机以及来自国家灾害管理机构、马来西亚海事执法机构（MMEA）和马来西亚皇家空军的52名官员和人员。

该提议已在印尼副总统吉布兰·拉卡布明·拉卡对印尼进行为期四天的工作访问期间转达给他。该提议将提交总统普拉博沃·苏比安托批准。

由马来西亚海事执法局（MMEA）运营的CL-415MP飞机具备空中灭火能力。该飞机曾于2015年部署到南苏门答腊，在为期五天的行动中洒水54.6万升。

同时担任国家灾害管理委员会主席的艾哈迈德·扎希德表示，提供援助是为了帮助印尼应对跨境雾霾，而不是干涉印尼内政。

马来西亚的空气质量读数清楚地表明了问题的紧迫性。

截至周五下午 5 点，32 个地区的空气污染指数 (API) 读数达到不健康水平。

根据马来西亚空气污染物指数管理系统门户网站的数据，雪兰莪州的Johan Setia的读数最高为183，其次是莎阿南（169）、八打灵再也（162）、万津（161）和巴生（159）。

砂拉越受影响地区数量最多，古晋的API读数为174，其次是三马拉汉（167）、西连IPD（166）、诗巫（162）、民都鲁（161）、泗里街（155）、斯里阿曼（154）和加帛（153）。

布城的读数不健康，为 172，而峇都慕达和蕉赖则分别为 167 和 165。彭亨州的淡马鲁和而连突分别录得155和151。

API读数0至50表示空气质量良好；51至100表示​​空气质量中等；101至200表示空气质量不健康；201至300表示空气质量非常不健康；301及以上表示空气质量危险。

对公众而言，眼下最关心的是烟雾。但对于那些试图追踪火灾源头的人来说，情况则更为复杂。

据报道，印尼方面表示，它正在遵守东盟现有的雾霾应对机制，包括每日报告热点数据、预测烟雾移动方向和消防措施。

8月26日，东盟启动了针对严重跨境雾霾的3级预警。根据该机制，成员国共享信息，以帮助邻国采取预防措施。

与此同时，这场雾霾再次引发了人们对棕榈油产业在区域火灾中所扮演角色的质疑。

然而，马来西亚棕榈油局（MPOB）表示，区域森林和泥炭火灾不能主要归因于油棕种植，卫星地图目前显示，热点地区分布在多种土地用途上。

报告称，这些地区包括未管理区域、纸浆木材种植园和小规模农田。

总监拿督巴德鲁·希沙姆·莫哈末表示，人类的土地开垦活动仍然是火灾的主要驱动因素，而厄尔尼诺等严重的气候异常现象可能会加剧火灾的蔓延。

“从科学角度来看，厄尔尼诺现象和持续干旱天气严格来说只是环境因素的放大作用，而不是引发因素本身，”他告诉马新社。

在分析火灾时，这种区别至关重要。

巴德鲁·希沙姆表示，该地区气候潮湿，野火不会自发发生，起火通常与人类活动有关。

然而，持续的干旱天气会降低土壤和植被的水分，使火势蔓延得更快。

在泥炭地区，这个问题更难解决，因为排水后的泥炭会在地表以下干燥燃烧。

巴德鲁·希沙姆表示，这会导致火灾难以发现和扑灭。

“一旦点燃，泥炭火可以在地下继续阴燃，即使地表火灾似乎已被控制，也可能重新燃起。

他说：“由此产生的排放物可能会持续数周或数月，并且根据风向，会导致长期的跨境雾霾。”

当火灾风险增加时

新任命的总干事还强调，不应将马来西亚油棕产业描述为具有季节性露天焚烧的做法，因为自 2020 年 1 月起强制实施的马来西亚可持续棕榈油 (MSPO) 认证计划已在该行业内实现了零焚烧。

他说，火灾风险会随着季节变化而变化。

在持续干旱时期，这种风险通常会增加，尤其是在西南季风期间的 6 月至 9 月，而一些地区在 1 月和 2 月左右也会经历干旱期。

在这些时期，降雨量减少、土壤和泥炭湿度下降以及气温升高，使得意外或未经授权的点火更容易蔓延，而厄尔尼诺现象可能会进一步加剧这种风险。

在解读卫星热点地图时也需要谨慎。

热点是可能发生火灾的迹象，但它本身并不能证明存在露天焚烧，也不能证明有人纵火。

“这种区别很重要，因为热点可以确定火灾可能发生在哪里，但不一定能确定是谁引发的火灾，或者涉及什么土地用途。

“因此，对马来西亚和印度尼西亚来说，眼下的挑战有两个：一是控制火势，二是提高查明火因的能力，”他说。

目前，马来西亚提供的飞机、直升机和人员主要用于扑灭火灾。

但仅靠消防不太可能解决更广泛的雾霾问题。

预防、土地管理和早期发现仍然是解决问题的关键，共享同一空域（有时甚至是同一烟雾）的国家之间的合作也同样重要。

关于棕榈油的争论还将继续，尤其是在雾霾再次出现的时候。

因此，仅凭卫星热点数据无法解决这一争论。火灾会发生在不同类型的土地上，天气状况会决定火灾蔓延的速度和持续时间。

因此，查明每场火灾的真正起因和原因与扑灭火灾本身同样重要。

对马来西亚、印度尼西亚以及更广泛的地区而言，这或许是应对雾霾最困难的部分。——马新社

安华：纳吉布有权寻求赦免，但必须考虑更广泛的影响。

安华表示，他将在决定是否辞职前与陆兆福会面，目前尚未提交辞职信。

东姑扎夫鲁表示，托儿服务是经济基础设施，而不仅仅是“一份工作”。