Director-General, Wan Mohd Noor Ibrahim, said on Sunday (Oct 4) that the department was willing to offer aid if Indonesia needed external support to help in tackling the haze problem which has recently reached critical levels.
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Spectators will be given a refund for tickets, but will miss the closely-watched women’s 200-meter backstroke showdown between Australia’s world champion Emily Seebohm, USA multiple Olympic champion Missy Franklin, and Hungary’s world 200-meter individual medley record holder Katinka Hosszu. Those with season passes will be notified on refunds by Thursday.
Exacerbated by dry conditions from El Nino, the smoke has blown across Southeast Asia, blanketing Singapore, parts of Indonesia and Malaysia in a smog that has caused these areas to close schools and suspend outdoor events.
“We know that there are measures being taken but it is not enough”. The Singapore Swimming Association, along with FINA, deeply regret cancelling day one of the finals.
Illegal land clearing fires in Indonesia are reportedly the cause of the smog, which has pushed air pollution to hazardous levels in neighbouring countries including Malaysia.
Dr Ang cited as an example hotels and tour agencies which have had their bookings cancelled. We are enduring problems from the haze that came from your country.
And also throwing its weight behind such campaigns is Avaaz, the global campaign network with 41 million members across the globe. “We hope its commitment is not only on paper or mere statements pleasant to the ears, but through implementation which could end all haze problems”, Zahid told reporters after launching a U-TURN programme here yesterday. According to Indonesian police spokesperson Agus Rianto, the company is an Australian Produce Marketing Association (PMA) company, a foreign direct investment firm, Fairfax Media reported. The government has also deployed a few 22,146 soldiers, policemen and fire personnel in six provinces to fight the fires, with aircraft conducting water-bombing and cloud-seeding operations.
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Companies seeking to clear land for palm oil and pulp wood plantations have been accused of encouraging the fires that often smoulder for weeks in underground peat deposits.
