Hazy months expected until October as dry spell likely to continue

An increase in hotspot activities can continue to be expected in the fire-prone areas in Sumatra and Kalimantan in Indonesia and Sarawak in Malaysia over the next few months, contributing to more haze pollution in the region, an international meeting noted Wednesday.

The 8th meeting of the Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution, being held in Singapore, also noted that the El Nino phenomenon was likely to exacerbate and prolong the current dry season until October.

The Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre reported that the prevailing weak El Nino condition was forecast to intensify to a moderate-to-strong El Nino event in the last quarter of this year, according to a statement released by the meeting, held in Singapore.

Haze making travel along Pan-Borneo Highway risky

Travelling along the Pan-Borneo Highway has become dangerous as visibility has been reduced to less than 100m on some stretches as a result of haze made worse by forest fires raging through the state.

A check by The Star yesterday found thick haze covering some stretches of the highway along a 50km route between Sarawak and Brunei.

Haze caused mainly by Sumatran fires

The heavy haze experienced by Klang Valley residents earlier Monday was not caused by local fires, but by hotspots in Sumatra, Indonesia, the Department of Environment has clarified.

The Shah Alam fire department earlier said that peat fires in Bestari Jaya, Banting, Pulau Kempas and Jalan Kebun in Selangor had contributed to the hazy condition in the Klang Valley.

Air quality better now

The air quality in several areas remains mild although the Air Pollutant Index (API) readings have improved.

The areas with moderate readings included Pasir Gudang (57), Shah Alam (71), Seberang Jaya 2 in Prai (71), Petaling Jaya (63), Cheras (61), Taiping (68), Alor Setar (56), Pengkalan Chepa (59) and Kuala Terengganu (63).

Penang hit by mild haze

Penang is experiencing a mild haze with visibility reported to be at between 4km and 5km.

A Penang Meteorological Department spokesman said as at 11am yesterday, the Air Pollutant Index (API) reading at the Seberang Jaya station indicated 71 with visibility at 5km.

"The API in Perai is 59 with visibility at five kilometres and at Universiti Sains Malaysia, the reading is 53 with visibility also at 5km," he said when contacted by Bernama here.

The dry weather and lack of rainfall during the season had contributed to the increase of particulates in the air which caused the haze, he added.

A check by Bernama showed that the Komtar building and Pulau Jerejak could be seen vaguely from the Penang Bridge in the morning.

Haze: Air quality gets worse

The air quality in the country deteriorated slightly on Wednesday, with only 23 areas posting good Air Pollutant Index (API) readings of between zero and 50 as at 5pm.

This is compared with 31 such areas on Tuesday.

Visibility improves as haze eases

The hazy conditions in the country has improved, resulting in better visibility.

Thirty-nine locations registered good Air Pollutant Index (API) readings while 11 others recorded moderate readings as of 11am Monday.

According to the Department of Environment (DOE) website, API reading for Port Klang, a leading sea route to the country, had also improved from 67 Sunday to 54 Monday.

Putrajaya, Cheras, Shah Alam and Petaling Jaya, which recorded moderate and unhealthy API readings Sunday, improved to 51, 57, 45 and 44 respectively.

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Air quality improves nationwide

Air pollutant index (API) readings have shown a general improvement in air quality levels around the country.

As of 5pm Sunday, there were no areas with unhealthy air quality (API 101-200) and overall, 23 areas recorded moderate air quality while 26 areas recorded good air quality levels.

The highest API readings were in Miri (76) and Port Klang (67). On Friday Port Klang, Cheras and Shah Alam had unhealthy air quality levels.

DOE reports healthier and clearer skies

Air quality in the country shows a general improvement as rain brought a brief respite from the haze.

Although satellite pictures showed an increase in hotspots in Sumatra from 49 to 86, API readings from the Department of Environment showed an improvement in air quality.

The highest API reading was recorded in Port Klang (89) as at 5pm. Of the 48 locations monitored, 24 showed good API readings, including Langkawi (29), Kangar (23) and USM, Penang (30).

Air quality declines in Klang Valley

Air quality in parts of the country have deteriorated due to local peat fires in Selangor and forest fires in Indonesia bringing over haze to Malaysia.

At 5pm Friday, Port Klang and Cheras recorded unhealthy API readings of 136 and 109 respectively. Shah Alam’s API reading went up to 120 from the 95 recorded at 11am.

Port Klang first to record unhealthy air

Port Klang is the first place in the country to record “unhealthy” air quality – from 82 (moderate) to 125. Other areas on the list were Kuala Selangor (78), Seri Manjung in Perak (77) and Muar (77).

The main cause for its deteriorating air quality was ground level ozone, a condition where abnormally high concentrations of chemical processes brought about by human activities cause smog, according to the Air Pollutant Index (API) on the Department of Environment’s website.

Hazy days: The difference in air quality yesterday compared with Wednesday (top) in Klang.