The Telegraph Nicola Smith, Asia correspondent
23 SEPTEMBER 2019 • 3:37PM
Indonesian skies glow blood red from forest fires and toxic haze
The skies over an Indonesia province have become so polluted by widespread forest fires that they began to glow a post-apocalyptic red over the weekend.
Some 900,000 Indonesians have suffered respiratory problems caused by extensive forest fires this summer, which are believed to have been started by illegal burning to clear land for farming.
Part of the problem is caused by big corporations and farmers, who use a slash-and-burn technique to clear land for palm oil, pulp and paper plantations.
This has spread from Borneo and Sumatra to neighbouring countries, such as Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. Several parts of southern Thailand, including the popular holiday destination of Phuket, also reported “unhealthy” air quality due to the drifting pollution from Indonesia.
YouDrive thinks:
Although it gives rise to some pretty pictures, this has a real impact on air quality, as well as destroying square miles of natural habitat.
