North-east wind to blow haze away

Still hazy: The KL Monorail travelling past the city’s skyscrapers.

SERDANG: The expected onset of the North-east monsoon wind looks set to bring about a gradual decline of haze levels in the country.

Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Hamim Samuri said the change of wind pattern would see the haze in Kalimantan and Sumatera blown to the Indian Ocean.

“Based on satellite images, it seems North-east monsoon winds from South China Sea have returned,” he said.

Hamim added that when that happened the haze was expected to remain for one or two more days, provided there was no more tropical storms, like the ones in the Philippines.

He was referring to tropical storms Koppu and Champi that have drawn winds from Indonesia to Malaysia in the past week.

“Though officials in Indonesia have said it would take three months to put out the fires, the change of wind directions should benefit us.

“We hope the wind from the north-east will continue but we cannot guarantee that there will be no more tropical storms as they are hard to predict,” said Hamim.

Bernama reports that 26 areas recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings with the highest at 152 in Pasir Gudang, Johor, as at 1pm yesterday.

According to the Department of Environment’s (DOE) portal, other areas with unhealthy API readings were Port Kelang (146), Kota Tinggi (144), Shah Alam (139), Larkin Lama, Johor (138), Bandaraya Melaka (134), Putrajaya (132), Banting, Selangor (132), Bukit Ram­bai, Melaka (131), Kuala Selangor (130) and Petaling Jaya (125).

In Seremban the API was 129, Muar (124), Port Dickson (123), Batu Muda (120), Cheras (119), Nilai (118), Tanjung Malim (117), Langkawi (110), Bakar Arang, Alor Setar (109), USM, Penang (107), Kangar (107), Alor Setar (107), Seberang Jaya (106), SMK Tanjung Chat, Kota Baru (105), and Seri Manjung (101).

Only two areas, Labuan and Limbang, Sarawak, registered healthy air quality at 45 and 39, while other areas recorded moderate API readings.

An API reading of 0 to 50 indicates good air quality; 51 to 100 moderate; 101 to 200 unhealthy; 201 to 300 very unhealthy and 300 and above hazardous.

The public can visit the website at http://apims.doe.gov.my/v2 to know the current API readings.