IPD Serian tops list while Sri Aman remains in very unhealthy air territory
PETALING JAYA: Five areas in Sarawak have recorded very unhealthy readings.
According to the daily haze watch by Sarawak’s Natural Resources and Environment Board as of 6pm yesterday, these places are Lubok Antu (234), Tebedu (218), Lundu (235), Sri Aman (223) and IPD Serian (250).
Other places which showed unhealthy readings were Kuching (185), Samarahan (193), Sarikei (193), Sibu (166), Mukah (171), Kapit (156), Bintulu (158) and Samalaju (153).
Data from the Air Pollutant Index Management System, meanwhile, showed that as of 5pm yesterday, 28 areas nationwide recorded unhealthy readings.
Of the 28 areas with unhealthy API readings, eight were in Sarawak – Sarikei (193), Samarahan (189), Kuching (182), Mukah (171), Sibu (166), Bintulu (157), Kapit (156) and Samalaju (152).
Department of Environment deputy director-general (development) Azuri Azizah Saedon said the haze is being influenced by smoke plumes moving from several directions, including across national borders.
“Based on Aug 28 satellite imagery from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1,738 hotspots were detected in Kalimantan and 36 in Sumatra, according to the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC),” Azuri Azizah said in a statement.
Other affected areas were Sungai Petani (160), Langkawi (151) and Alor Setar (128) in Kedah; Minden (158), Seberang Perai (157) and Seberang Jaya (156) in Penang; and Cheras (161) and Batu Muda (156) in Kuala Lumpur.
Also affected were Taiping (158), Tanjung Malim (156) and Tasek Ipoh (153) in Perak; Shah Alam (156), Johan Setia (156), Petaling Jaya (153), Kuala Selangor (124) and Klang (118) in Selangor; Nilai (154) and Seremban (151) in Negri Sembilan; Segamat (129) in Johor; and Putrajaya (155).
“The regional haze map issued by the ASMC on Aug 28 shows continued dry weather over most parts of the southern Asean region, except for several areas in Peninsular Malaysia and northern Borneo that received rainfall.”
Azuri Azizah said scattered to widespread clusters of hotspots had been detected across Kalimantan and southern and central Sumatra.
“Moderate to dense transboundary smoke plumes were detected in West Kalimantan and moving northwards into western Sarawak, while similar plumes were also observed in other parts of Kalimantan and central and southern Sumatra.
“However, the overall distribution of hotspots and haze in the region could not be fully determined due to cloud cover,” she said.
Azuri Azizah said the department had stepped up enforcement and daily patrols in areas prone to open burning while continuing to monitor API readings.
The National Open Burning Action Plan and National Haze Action Plan had also been activated to coordinate the government agencies’ response to open burning and the haze situation.
Azuri Azizah urged landowners to closely monitor areas vulnerable to fires, including rubbish dumps, forests, peatlands, plantations, agricultural areas and industrial sites.
API readings of between zero and 50 indicate good air quality, 51 to 100 moderate, 101 to 200 unhealthy, 201 to 300 very unhealthy, while readings above 300 are categorised as hazardous.
