PETALING JAYA: Malaysians have been waking up to haze for the past few days and are fearing more of the bad stuff after the air quality took a dip in many places.
With August proving a bad month for the phenomenon over the last three years, many Malaysians are bracing for a hit to their lifestyles and health.
Yesterday, the Air Pollutant Index (API) recorded 28 areas with moderate reading.
As at 6pm, two areas – Kampung Air Putih in Taiping and Kemaman – reached 71 and 70 on the index respectively.
The API reading for good air quality is below 50 while moderate is between 51 and 100.
The air quality is considered unhealthy if the reading is between 101 and 200.
Five more places reached a reading of 60 or more – Banting (65), Bukit Rambai (64), Nilai (61), Port Klang (60) and Shah Alam (60).
According to the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC), there are four hotspots in Malaysia since the dry season started last month, compared with 49 in Kalimantan and 32 in Sumatra.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Madius Tangau had said that Malaysians should brace for drier weather and haze.
“We are now experiencing the southwest monsoon that started in May and it will last until mid-September.
“At this time, the atmospheric conditions throughout the country will be drier with less rain. As a result, haze associated with burning activities is expected to occur,” Tangau said on July 31.
On Monday, Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency in Pekanbaru, Riau, warned of recurring haze unless stakeholders took tougher measures to immediately extinguish land fires affecting several areas across the province, the Jakarta Post reported.
The agency’s Pekanbaru head Sugarin said there was a possibility of haze problems similar to previous years returning and affecting Indonesia’s neighbours.
Last year, Malaysia was hit with the worst haze so far, resulting in schools being closed.
The unprecedented severity of the haze also affected millions in Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the southern part of the Philippines and the northern part of Laos.
“Currently, the wind tends to blow to the southeast. If haze occurs, there is a significant chance it will be brought by the wind to our neighbouring countries,” Sugarin said.
“In total, 92 hotspots were detected in Riau this morning, 84 of which were in coastal areas with a significant amount of peatland,” he said.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
