ZAMBOANGA CITY – The air quality in Zamboanga has improved on Tuesday, a week after toxic haze from forest fires in neighboring Indonesia reached much of Mindanao Island in southern Philippines.
Dr. Rodel Agbulos, head of the Zamboanga City Health Office, said the quality of air has largely improved and is now on normal level compared to last week that prompted him to warn residents, especially those with asthma and respiratory diseases, to stay indoors and avoid the haze.
“Our air quality now is now in normal level and the sky is clear,” he said, adding, the health of residents are no longer under threat from pollutants brought about by the haze.
Other areas in Mindanao, including Cagayan de Oro and Davao cities, also reported good weather conditions.
The Indonesian haze had enveloped the mountainous areas in Zamboanga Peninsula and because of poor visibility several commercial flights had been diverted or cancelled in some cities.
Agbulos said pollutants from haze could trigger asthma attacks, especially people with respiratory or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Even facial mask, Agbulos said, will not help protect residents from haze.
The toxic haze, a mixture of smoke and other pollutants from fires that are ravaging six provinces in Indonesia – Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan – since June this year have affected Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Cambodia. The Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management had declared a state of emergency in the provinces due to the haze.
The fires, believed to have started from illegal farming practises such as slash and burn method, triggered widespread concern over the public health and carbon emissions in the Southeast Asian region.
Pollutants in the haze are so small that it can stay in the air longer and travel farther, and can pass through the body’s smaller airways deeper into the lungs, leading to respiratory and circulatory diseases, cancers and brain damage. (Mindanao Examiner)
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