Recent wet days bring respite for Malaysians suffering from haze and dry spell

PETALING JAYA: Recent rains have brought temporary relief from the haze and dry spell that Malaysians have been enduring for the past week.

However, Meteorological Department spokesman Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said the widespread rain was expected to reduce by today before picking up again by the middle of next week.

“After a few days of widespread rainfall over most of Peninsular Malaysia, the haze is unlikely to return again until June, unless there are forest and peatland fires.

“Plus, the wet season is just around the corner,” he said yesterday.

Last Friday, Port Klang and Banting reported a hazardous level of Air Pollutant Index (API) with readings exceeding 300, forcing schools in Selangor to be closed.

In contrast, as at 2pm yesterday, the API readings in both these areas had dipped to moderate levels while the air in Malacca and Negri Sembilan, which had previously registered unhealthy readings, was recorded at good.

API readings of between 0 to 50 are categorised as good, moderate (51-100), unhealthy (101-200), very unhealthy (201-300) and hazardous (more than 301). The recent rainfall enjoyed by folks in Klang Valley and parts of Peninsular Malaysia was a combination of both rain and cloud-seeding efforts.

Cloud-seeding, which can induce rainfall within 15 minutes to half an hour after the exercise, resumed last Saturday after the National Security Council recalled a Hercules plane from the search of the missing MH370 plane. The operation was targeted at clouds over water catchment areas and places with severe haze.