KOTA KINABALU: Flight operations in and out of Tawau airport in Sabah returned to normal though thick haze conditions kept schools in the south-eastern district closed.
Tawau airport manager Yakub Abu Bakar said that air traffic operations were not disrupted as visibility improved from less then a kilometre early yesterday to three kilometres.
“We are still on alert as situation might change,” he said, adding that the poor visibility had disrupted flight operations on Sunday.
Tawau, which borders Indonesia’s Kalimantan in Borneo, saw the unhealthy air pollutant index hovering at 165 with little signs of lifting on yesterday as 198 schools closed.
Sabah Education director Datuk Jame Alip said some 112,000 students and 9,623 teachers were affected by the closure of the schools that not only involved Tawau but also neighbouring districts of Semporna, Kunak and Lahad Datu.
Heavy rains and strong winds over west coast Sabah during the weekend also brought back hazy conditions in the city here and Labuan.
A Meteorological Services Department spokesman said that the visibility in Labuan was 5km while in Kota Kinabalu it was 8km at noon. Other areas including Sandakan and Kudat were above 10km, the spokesman said, adding that the haze was being blown into the area due to the current south westerly winds.
There were over 150 hotspots in the Kalimantan area.
Meanwhile, the haze is causing Malaysians to spend more on supplements and herbal remedies.
Richard Lian and Josephine Woon sacrificed their favourite coffee routine as they were getting a sore throat from going out in the haze.
Woon, who suffers from sinus problems, and her husband Lian are now trying to fortify their immune system with vitamin supplements, Chamomile honey tea and herbal tea.
The couple, who own a fruit shop, said they had to take supplements and tea as they had to go outside the house every day to collect fruits for their business.
They added that there was an increased demand for lemons from their customers. Lemons are also said to help those who have phlegm.
Student Nicole Ng, 19, has asthma and is forced to stay indoors most of the time and keep the windows shut and doors closed because of the haze.
“My mom boiled leung cha (herbal tea) for my body to cool down.
“I also turn on the air conditioner to make sure I do not get an asthma attack in my own home,” said Ng who’s not missing classes right now because she is on her semester break.
Grocery shop assistant Parimala Verasamy, 36, has visited the pharmacy three times this month because of the haze.
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