2013 Southeast Asian haze
In 2013, there was a big problem in Southeast Asia where the air had a lot of smoke in it. The smoke came from a lot of forest fires that were happening in Indonesia. The smoke spread to other countries like Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. The air was very dirty and it was hard to breathe.
The reason why the fires started was because people were clearing the land to make room for crops and things like palm oil trees. They used a method called "slash and burn" where they cut down the trees and then burned them. But the fires got out of control and spread to other areas. When the smoke went into the air, it mixed with other pollutants like car exhaust and factories, making it even worse.
Many people got sick from the dirty air, especially people who had breathing problems like asthma. Schools had to be closed because it was not safe for children to go outside. Some people had to wear masks to protect themselves from breathing in the dirty air.
Governments had to work together to try to stop the fires and reduce the amount of smoke in the air. They used airplanes to drop water on the fires and some people were arrested for starting the fires. It took many weeks for the air to get better and for people to feel safe again.
The reason why the fires started was because people were clearing the land to make room for crops and things like palm oil trees. They used a method called "slash and burn" where they cut down the trees and then burned them. But the fires got out of control and spread to other areas. When the smoke went into the air, it mixed with other pollutants like car exhaust and factories, making it even worse.
Many people got sick from the dirty air, especially people who had breathing problems like asthma. Schools had to be closed because it was not safe for children to go outside. Some people had to wear masks to protect themselves from breathing in the dirty air.
Governments had to work together to try to stop the fires and reduce the amount of smoke in the air. They used airplanes to drop water on the fires and some people were arrested for starting the fires. It took many weeks for the air to get better and for people to feel safe again.