Stop !!! the Haze

The Haze is Killing Us.  High levels of smoke haze in Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia is harmful to our health and is causing respiratory problems, asthma and may even lead to cancer in the long term. The cause is extensive forest and peatland fires linked to land clearing in Riau, Indonesia and to a lesser extent Selangor. The haze will get worse as the current drought is expected to continue till September.

The Air Pollutant Index has exceeded 400 (life-threatening for the elderly and sick) in Singapore for the first time in history. A high of 383 has been recorded in Johor, Malaysia.  Schools and worksites are closed and the economic impact in all three countries is expected to be in tens or hundreds of millions of dollars.

Rapid and coordinated work is needed in the three countries to suppress the current fires and to work on prevention of future fires.  The root cause of the fires is the current drought combined with land clearing and peatland drainage - primarily in Indonesia combined with the common practice of burning for land clearing operations.

The Global Environment Centre (GEC) is a Malaysian non-profit organization which has been working in all haze-affected ASEAN countries over the past 15 years to develop practical solutions to the regional haze crisis.  GEC is a founding partner of the ASEAN Peatland Management Initiative established by the 10 ASEAN member countries in 2003. It is assisting the ASEAN member countries to implement haze prevention strategies.  It is currently supporting community based fire prevention in Selangor and Riau. It is recognized by ASEAN and ASEAN member states as a key partner in preventing peatland fires. It has Tax Free Status in Malaysia

GEC needs your support for work in Malaysia and Indonesia:

• Patrolling of Fire-prone peatlands in Selangor State and Riau Province

• Equipment and supplies to support community fire  prevention and control teams

• Monitoring the activities of forest and oil palm plantations and promoting zero burning and

• Provide regular reports to public on haze and fire situation and haze safety tips

How you can help?

• Make a donation to GEC’s Stop the Haze Campaign

• Sign up as a GEC supporter – to support longer term prevention measures.

• Sign up as a volunteer to support the Stop the Haze Campaign

• Monitor fire prone areas near your home for work and promptly report any land clearing or fires.

For more information, visit http://gec.org.my or http://aseanpeat.net