foray
Rock n' Roll Doggie
You may have heard by now of the terrible haze that has enveloped the West Coast of Malaysia, where I live. This is due to peat fires in Indonesia, as well as illegal burning of Indonesian forests to clear the land for development.
It is horrible. It is, literally, like breathing in smoke (and more's the pity if you're a non-smoker, asthmatic, etc) 24 hours a day.
At its worst, when the air pollution index shot over 500 (extremely hazardous), even shutting the windows and turning on the air-conditioning didn't work.
The smell of burning wood permeates the air. When you step out of the house, your eyes smart. Vehicles have to have their headlights on during the day and night. It is terrible.
And all because of greed, because of a government's lack of conscience, because of apathy. Indonesia apologizes to us every year. Yes, this happens EVERY YEAR, probably due to the agricultural cycles. Only this time it has become absolutely unbearable. To think that the Malaysian government has accepted the apologies time after time, for the sake of diplomatic relations.
I am so glad that some protest rallies were held yesterday re: the haze. If I had known about it earlier, I would have been there for sure. I am so mad at the Indonesian government and my own. Indonesia, for not policing illegal open burnings, and Malaysia, for keeping the air pollutant index a secret from us for so long because they didn't want to scare tourists away!
Grr.
Wherever you are, be thankful you are breathing in fresh air.
foray
It is horrible. It is, literally, like breathing in smoke (and more's the pity if you're a non-smoker, asthmatic, etc) 24 hours a day.
At its worst, when the air pollution index shot over 500 (extremely hazardous), even shutting the windows and turning on the air-conditioning didn't work.
The smell of burning wood permeates the air. When you step out of the house, your eyes smart. Vehicles have to have their headlights on during the day and night. It is terrible.
And all because of greed, because of a government's lack of conscience, because of apathy. Indonesia apologizes to us every year. Yes, this happens EVERY YEAR, probably due to the agricultural cycles. Only this time it has become absolutely unbearable. To think that the Malaysian government has accepted the apologies time after time, for the sake of diplomatic relations.
I am so glad that some protest rallies were held yesterday re: the haze. If I had known about it earlier, I would have been there for sure. I am so mad at the Indonesian government and my own. Indonesia, for not policing illegal open burnings, and Malaysia, for keeping the air pollutant index a secret from us for so long because they didn't want to scare tourists away!
Grr.
Wherever you are, be thankful you are breathing in fresh air.
foray