GEORGE TOWN (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Folks in northern Malaysia have the heavens to thank as a steady wind blowing in from the north-west has taken much of the haze away.
The wind, which funnelled in from the Andaman Sea all the way down to Taiping, sent the Air Pollution Index (API) plummeting to the 60s and 70s.
In Langkawi, the API was a blissful 46 on Saturday morning (Sept 14).
In Penang, the wind also brought storm clouds that yielded mild showers, giving Penangites a breezy, cloudy morning.
On Friday, the API recorded unhealthy levels in two areas - Balik Pulau and Minden - in Penang.
The Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) in Singapore reported that this wind from the north-west, blowing at between 20kmh and 40kmh, will stay for the next few days.
But ASMC's website showed that folks down south are still getting wind from the south-west, meaning Sumatra.
The air is still unhealthy and Melaka is dealing with an API of 206, classed as "very unhealthy".
The API in Shah Alam and Klang, which were well past the 200-mark on Thursday and Friday, are getting marginally better levels at 155 and 191 respectively.
Those in Kuching are still miserable with an API of 221.
ASMC's website still shows at least 10 hot spots throughout Sumatra and Kalimantan.
An API reading of between 0 and 50 is good while 51 to 100 is moderate, 101 to 200 is unhealthy, 201 to 300 very unhealthy, and 301 and above deemed hazardous.
