PETALING JAYA: The haze situation across Malaysia has eased slightly with three localities recording unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings yesterday.
As of 8pm, the affected locations were Serian (157) and Samarahan (152) in Sarawak, as well as Johan Setia (137) in Selangor according to the Department of Environment’s (DOE) Air Pollutant Index Management System.
Unhealthy API readings range between 101 and 200.
Only three stations are bordering on unhealthy air quality – Kuching (94) in Sarawak, Banting (92) in Selangor and Nilai (88) in Negri Sembilan.
Last week, as many as 11 stations nationwide recorded unhealthy API readings.
The hardest hit was Serian after a 204 API reading was registered there on Aug 12, putting air quality at “very unhealthy” levels.
The current transboundary haze episode impacting Malaysia was first detected on Aug 8.
In a related development, DOE deputy director-general (development) Azuri Azizah Saedon said six hotspots have been detected nationwide.
This comprised one each in Melaka and Johor respectively as well as two each in Sarawak and Sabah, referencing the latest Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) report.
“The DOE has stepped up enforcement action and daily patrols in areas prone to open burning, in addition to monitoring API readings regularly.
“The National Open Burning Action Plan and National Haze Action Plan have also been activated to coordinate the actions of government agencies in addressing open burning and haze situations,” she said in a statement.
In its forecast, the ASMC said moderate smoke plumes were observed in southern and western parts of Kalimantan while slight localised smoke plumes were also observed in the southern and central parts of Sumatra.
“Dry conditions are expected to continue over the southern parts of Borneo, Java, the Lesser Sunda Islands and Sulawesi while a few showers are forecast over the rest of the Asean region.
“While showers may bring some respite to the hotspot and haze situation in some areas, other areas facing prolonged dry conditions may still experience escalated activities with risk of transboundary haze occurrences,” said the ASMC.
In Sabah, the state’s Fire and Rescue Department has been continuously carrying out fire awareness programmes in all districts across the state.
This includes distributing flyers informing the public about fire hazards, safety and precautionary measures in this dry season.
It also shared tips on fire prevention such as no open burning, proper disposal of cigarette butts, turning off electrical switches and appliances when not in use, and being extra vigilant for any incidents.
