KUALA LUMPUR: The hazy conditions in the country particularly in the west coast of the Peninsula and western Sarawak are due to increased number of hotspots in Sumatra and Kalimantan, Indonesia.
Malaysian Meteorological Department director-general Jailan Simon in a statement today said haze was expected to worsen if open burning in Indonesia was not brought under control.
“The probability of heavy rains in Sumatra, Kalimantan and our country is low in the coming weeks.
“In this regard, the possibility of our country being affected by transboundary haze is still high, especially in the west and south of the Peninsula as well as in west Sarawak. The haze may last until the end of the Southwest monsoon,” he said.
Malaysians meanwhile are advised to minimise outdoor activities; wear face masks; drink plenty of water and avoid open burning in the current hazy weather.
Based on Department of Environment (DoE) data, Johan Setia Klang was the only area to record unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) of 105 in the Peninsula as of noon.
In Sarawak, Kuching recorded very unhealthy air quality at 214 and seven areas recorded unhealthy - ILP Miri (113); Miri (148); Mukah (103); Sarikei (135); Sri Aman (180); Samarahan (197); and SK Kuala Baram 2 (113).
The API is categorised as ‘good’ from 0 to 50, ‘moderate’ (51-100), unhealthy (101-200), very unhealthy (201-300) and hazardous (301 and more).
The public can refer to the Department of Environment (DOE) website at http://apims.doe.gov.my/v2/ or by downloading the MyIPU mobile application to get hourly API readings.
Meanwhile, the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) said weather remained dry over many parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan today.
“With dry conditions expected to persist over many areas in Sumatra and Kalimantan, hotspot activities and hazy conditions there are likely to continue," it said.
“In Sumatra, persistent hotspots with smoke haze continued to be detected in the provinces of Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, and Lampung. Moderate to dense smoke haze from the hotspots in Riau has been blown by the prevailing winds toward the Strait of Malacca.
“In West Kalimantan, moderate to dense smoke haze was observed to emanate from scattered hotspots in the province. Some of the smoke haze has been blown by the prevailing winds toward western Sarawak.”