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OVERCAST SKY: Kuala Lumpur shrouded in haze caused by forest fires raging in Sumatra. Although the Air Pollution Index has not dropped to serious levels, Malaysians are expecting worse days ahead. -- PHOTO: SIN CHEW DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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KUALA LUMPUR - OVER the last few days, Malaysia's skyline has started to fade into grey in its northern states as the haze returns.
With forest fires raging in Sumatra, smoky skies look set to be a grim part of Malaysian life for the next few weeks or months yet again.
This is no thanks to the weather conditions that are typical at this time of the year - south-westerly wind patterns that bring the smoke from Sumatra and a lack of rain to wash it away.
The haze appeared towards the end of last week: Perak, Penang and Kedah became overcast with smoke from fires in the Riau province in Sumatra, Indonesia.
On some days, visibility in these states fell to about 2km from the usual 10km.
Two days ago, a helicopter carrying Higher Education Minister Mustapa Mohamad had to be grounded.
He was forced to hitch a ride from a teacher as he headed north to Grik from Ipoh to open a community college.
Schools in affected areas have been advised to limit students' outdoor activities.
Although the haze is still mild, the 68,000 rice farmers in Kedah fear that their harvest could be affected.
'The weather had been perfect for the normal growth and ripening of our crop until the haze appeared,' Datuk Ismail Arshad of the state's farmers' association was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times.
The blue skies over the rice fields quickly turned grey and overcast.
Even Kuala Lumpur, which is not badly affected, seems gloomy as the hills surrounding the city have vanished behind a grey shroud.
The Air Pollution Index, however, shows the situation is not yet serious. The air quality did drop once to an unhealthy level in Sungai Petani, Kedah, on Wednesday but the situation improved yesterday.
Readings at 43 areas nationwide registered moderate air quality, while eight areas had good air readings.
The situation is expected to prevail for some time.
A spokesman for the Meteorological Services Department told The Straits Times that the south-westerly wind patterns and dry weather will last till September.
'This is characteristic of the south-west monsoon,' he said.
He could not say if the haze is likely to worsen, but many Malaysians are already fearful.
They still remember August two years ago, when the air was unbearably smoky and so dense that breathing became difficult. The pollution reached dangerous levels in parts of Selangor, and the government had to declare an emergency.
Last year, intense haze blanketed Kuala Lumpur and southern Malaysia for a few days in October.
This half of the year is traditionally the peak tourist season because of the influx of Arab tourists during their summer months, and the annual Malaysian Mega Sale in August.
Tourism Malaysia director-general Mirza Taiyab told The Straits Times that it was hard to say how tourism would be affected as the situation was not serious.
In the last two years, tourist arrivals had remained at between 1.4 million and 1.5 million a month, even during the haze.
carolynh@sph.com.sg
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