JAKARTA/SINGAPORE — Wild forest and peatland fires across Kalimantan and Sumatra in Indonesia are putting nearly 10 million children in the country at risk from air pollution, a United Nations agency warned on Tuesday (Sept 24).

In a press release, the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) said that an estimated 2.4 million children under the age of five live in the areas most affected by the haze and wildfires, which have been ongoing since July this year.

While the haze is an annual occurrence, this has been the worst year since 2015, owing in part to unusually dry weather. A media advisory from Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) stated on Tuesday that a total of 103 hot spots were detected, mostly in central Sumatra.

The worsening situation in Indonesia forced the governor of the country’s Riau province to declare a state of emergency on Monday.

Over the weekend, the skies over the neighbouring province of Jambi turned red due to a high concentration of pollutants in the air which resulted in a phenomenon that involves the scattering of sunlight.

Unicef said: “Small children are especially vulnerable to air pollution because they breathe more rapidly, and their physical defences and immunities are not fully developed.” 

The organisation warned that the air pollution affects babies even before they are born. It cited research which showed that babies born to mothers exposed to high levels of pollution during pregnancy are more likely to experience reduced growth while in utero, low birth weight and to be delivered preterm.

Ms Debora Comini, a Unicef representative, said: “Poor air quality is a severe and growing challenge for Indonesia. 

“Every year, millions of children are breathing toxic air that threatens their health and causes them to miss school — resulting in lifelong physical and cognitive damage.”

Close to eight million children in Indonesia attend schools affected by poor air quality. Many of those have been forced to close in the worst affected areas, Unicef said.

The haze has not spared neighbouring countries. Last week, close to 1,500 schools in Malaysia were temporarily closed due to air pollution. Flights were also cancelled due to poor visibility.

In Singapore, hazy skies have been seen over the past week, although as of 9pm on Tuesday, the air was relatively clear with the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) standing in the “moderate” range, showing readings of between 78 and 93.

The one-hour PM2.5 concentration readings, which measure fine particulate matter, ranged from 17-37µg/m3, falling within the “normal band” at 9pm.

NEA said that while recent showers over the island may have helped to improve the haze situation, the hot-spot activities in Sumatra are “expected to persist”.

It added that Singapore may still experience “occasional slightly hazy conditions” over the next few days if prevailing winds blow in smoke haze from Sumatra.

The 24-hour PSI is forecast to be in the “moderate” range for the next 24 hours while the one-hour PM2.5 concentration readings are expected to be in “normal” range and may enter the low-end of the “elevated” range occasionally, NEA said.