A breath of fresh air for Klang Valley folk

Clear skies over Putrajaya at 12.30pm Monday.

KLANG: After weeks of living in smoky surroundings, residents in the Klang Valley are relieved that the level of air pollutants has gone down drastically, thanks to rain over the last two days.

Yesterday, the Air Pollutant Index (API) recorded in most parts of the country were at good and moderate levels.

As at 10am, only 10 areas recorded moderate levels, with its highest reading of 73 recorded in Balok Baru, Kuantan.

The unhealthy API levels in Port Klang saw a reduction yesterday.

However, a check at several pharmacies here showed that face masks were still in high demand.

An employee at a pharmacy here said that her customers wanted to stock up on masks in case the hazy conditions returned.

Clear skies at last: A combo photo showing the difference in the haze situation in Putrajaya. The first photo was taken at 10.30am and the second at 12.30pm yesterday.

Selangor executive councillor in charge of the environment Elizabeth Wong had earlier said that the haze situation in the past few weeks was due to transboundary and local sources of pollution.

It was also reported that the Selangor government had issued 12 investigation papers with the intention of prosecuting those involved in open burning on private lots.

Under the Environmental Quality Act 1974, any person who is caught for open burning will be liable to a fine not exceeding RM500,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or both.