Haze in Penang only temporary

Komtar is barely visible in this picture taken from the mainland in the morning. Starpix by LO TERN CHERN

BUTTERWORTH: The haze enveloping Penang on Friday should be temporary and was caused by stagnant air.

A spokesman of the state Department of Environment said Penangites should not be worried by the situation.

"We expect the winds to blow away the haze and clear the sky by evening," she said adding that the air in Kedah and Perak remained good.

The Meteorological Department has forecast for fair weather on the island with rain from Sunday to Wednesday.

The Komtar building in George Town and the Penang Bridge were barely visible from the Sultan Abdul Halim ferry terminal in Butterworth.

At 5pm, the Air Pollutant Index (API) reading in Seberang Jaya was 75 (73 at 6am) and at Universiti Sains Malaysia 67 (66 at 6am).

An API reading of between 0 and 50 is considered good, 51 to 100 (moderate), 101 to 200 (unhealthy), 201 to 300 (very unhealthy), and 301 and above (hazardous).