Hazy skies in Kuching

KUCHING: Hazy conditions were seen over Kuching as parts of southern Sarawak recorded the country’s highest air pollutant index (API) readings.

Yesterday at 2pm, the state capital recorded an Air Pollution Index (API) of 91, which is close to the unhealthy level.

Samarahan and Serian had API readings of 86 and 85, respectively.

An API reading of 0–50 is considered good, 51–100 is moderate, and 101–200 is unhealthy.

The Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre’s (ASMC) website indicated 241 hotspots in Kalimantan on Wednesday, while none were detected in Sarawak.In its weather and haze outlook yesterday, ASMC said there was an increased risk of hotspots with smoke haze developing over fire-prone areas in the southern Asean region experiencing prolonged dry conditions.

“The prevailing winds over areas north of the equator are forecast to blow from the southwest or west, whereas the prevailing winds over areas south of the equator are expected to blow from the southeast or south,” it said.

As such, there is a risk of transboundary haze occurring, particularly over the bordering regions of Kalimantan and Sarawak.

Sarawak last experienced unhealthy air quality in August last year, when the API in Sri Aman breached the 100 mark.

The poor air quality at that time was caused by transboundary haze brought by southwest monsoon winds from hotspots in Kalimantan.