PETALING JAYA – Malaysia, particularly the southern states of Peninsular Malaysia, is bracing itself for more haze from south Sumatra in the next three days.
Malaysian Meteorological Department director-general Muhammad Helmi Abdullah said there were 119 hot spots in Kalimantan and 121 in Sumatra on Sunday, as captured by Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre satellite images.
While Malaysia has no reported hot spots, moderate to dense smoke plumes from persistent hot spot clusters in South Sumatra have been observed.
These are being carried north-west by prevailing winds.
As at 9am on Monday, 18 locations in nine states have recorded unhealthy air quality.
National news agency Bernama, citing the Malaysian Air Pollutant Index (API) Management System website, reported that Cheras district in Kuala Lumpur recorded the highest API reading at 164, followed by Nilai and Seremban cities in Negeri Sembilan with readings of 163 and 158, respectively.
Other areas with unhealthy air quality – API readings of between 101 and 200 – included the administrative capital of Putrajaya, Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam, Klang, Johan Setia and Banting in Selangor; Negeri Sembilan’s seaside resort town of Port Dickson; Bukit Rambai and Alor Gajah in Melaka; Taiping in Perak and Batu Muda in Kuala Lumpur.
Alliance for a Safe Community chairman Lee Lam Thye said transboundary haze has existed for a long time, but there has been no amicable and enduring solution to end it.
“Asean nations need to intensify their efforts and expedite finding solutions to the issue,” he said, adding that there was a need for increased vigilance against open burning locally.
Johor Health and Unity Committee chairman Ling Tian Soon advised the public to limit outdoor activities because of the spike in API readings in the Larkin and Batu Pahat areas in the state.
He said hospitals and health clinics in Johor, especially Sultanah Aminah Hospital, were prepared for haze-related illnesses.
Public advisories on reducing outdoor activities, drinking more water and wearing face masks for those with respiratory issues have been issued. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
