Indonesian haze puts Quezon on alert as polluted air shifts south

By Nimfa L. Estrellado-Laurino Traffic moves through downtown Lucena City under hazy skies as Quezon remains under air-quality watch. (R...

By Nimfa L. Estrellado-Laurino

Traffic moves through downtown Lucena City under hazy skies as Quezon remains under air-quality watch. (Ralff Nestor Nacor)

LUCENA CITY, Quezon — A dirty veil of smoke has crossed seas and borders, dimming skies over parts of the Philippines while microscopic particles ride the habagat far beyond the burning forests that produced them. Quezon remains among the areas under haze watch as authorities track fine particulate matter that can penetrate deep into the lungs after prolonged exposure.

The Quezon Provincial Government has issued a haze alert as smoke from forest and peatland fires in Kalimantan, Indonesia continues to reach CALABARZON, urging residents to reduce unnecessary exposure outdoors. Provincial authorities specifically warned public utility drivers, delivery riders, street vendors, field workers and others whose jobs keep them on roads and in open areas for extended periods.



The haze first appeared over parts of the country early Sept. 1, initially affecting CALABARZON, Metro Manila, Central Luzon and MIMAROPA before spreading farther toward the Visayas and Mindanao. Quezon was included among the CALABARZON provinces identified on air-quality maps as potentially affected by the continuing transboundary haze.

DENR-EMB monitoring has since shown heavier haze over Western Visayas, Central Visayas, the Zamboanga Peninsula and parts of Northern Mindanao as the pollution plume shifted southward. Metro Manila recorded some improvement as wind patterns changed, while environment officials continued monitoring Luzon areas that had earlier registered haze.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau continues to monitor air quality through its network of monitoring stations to assess the extent and potential impacts of the haze. The stations measure pollutants that may remain suspended even when rainfall or changing winds make the sky appear visibly clearer.

DENR-EMB traced the pollution to continuing forest and peatland fires in Kalimantan, where smoke enters regional wind systems before the southwest monsoon carries it toward the Philippines. Authorities said prevailing winds have transported the transboundary haze across Philippine airspace and into several regions from Luzon to Mindanao.

Air-quality scientist Dr. Maria Obiminda L. Cambaliza of the Manila Observatory said the episode coincides with Indonesia’s “peatland burning season,” when fires in carbon-rich peat areas can produce dense smoke plumes that travel far from their source. Cambaliza, also a professor at the Ateneo de Manila University Department of Physics, said the habagat has provided the wind pattern carrying the Indonesian smoke toward parts of Luzon and the Visayas.

DENR-EMB Environmental Quality Management Division chief Jundy del Socorro said rainfall can temporarily remove suspended pollutants while the habagat continues transporting smoke across different parts of the country. Environment officials said continued fires in Kalimantan could send additional smoke toward Philippine territory whenever prevailing winds again favor northward transport.

“Periods of rain can help reduce pollution levels because rainfall helps wash smoke particles and fine particulate matter from the atmosphere,” Del Socorro said. “Changing wind patterns can also redirect polluted air, which means conditions may improve in one area while haze concentrations increase somewhere else.”

DENR-EMB is also tracking whether rainfall and changing wind patterns can produce a more sustained decline in haze concentrations rather than simply move the pollution between regions. The bureau said the air-quality outlook remains tied to the intensity of the Indonesian fires, the direction of prevailing winds and the amount of rainfall across affected areas.

“Air quality could gradually improve if rainfall remains widespread and wind patterns begin to shift over the affected areas,” Del Socorro said. “Conditions will still depend on the intensity of the fires, prevailing winds and rainfall across the region, so continued monitoring remains necessary while the source of the smoke remains active.”

PM2.5 poses the sharper health threat because particles measuring 2.5 micrometers or smaller can penetrate deep into the respiratory system when inhaled over prolonged periods. Health authorities warned that exposure can cause coughing, breathing difficulty and eye irritation while aggravating asthma, lung disease and cardiovascular conditions among vulnerable residents.

Quezon authorities advised residents to reduce strenuous outdoor activity, keep windows closed during hazy conditions and wear properly fitted N95 masks whenever outside exposure cannot be avoided. They also urged people with irritated eyes to rinse with clean water or saline solution and seek medical attention for severe breathing difficulty, persistent coughing or chest discomfort.

Air quality can change within hours as rainfall clears one area while shifting winds push the same pollution toward another, making the haze difficult to judge by sight alone. DENR-EMB monitoring stations will continue tracking those changes as Quezon waits to see whether the next wind clears the smoke or carries another plume into the province.