Malaysian police, pilots on blaze alert

Straits Times 12 Jun 09;

KUALA LUMPUR: - Malaysian police and airline pilots were on the lookout for fires at forests and garbage dumps yesterday after a decline in air quality signalled the possible return of a seasonal smog.

The authorities are concerned that the fires might contribute to haze and pollution during the mid-year dry season. The haze is generally caused by farmers in Indonesia who start illegal brush fires to clear land for planting, causing smoke to drift across to neighbouring countries.

Officials have reported a dip in air quality and visibility in parts of Malaysia over the past week.

More than half of 50 monitoring stations across the country have reported a fall in air quality from 'good' to 'moderate' in recent days.

The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry said that regional satellite images showed more than 1,100 'hot spots' - indicating large fires - recently on Indonesia's Sumatra island and in Kalimantan province, and a further 125 'hot spots' in Malaysia that could aggravate air pollution.

The areas hit by air pollution were mostly on peninsular Malaysia's west coast, which is separated from Sumatra by the Malacca Strait.

The Meteorological Department said visibility near Kuala Lumpur had fallen to between 6km and 8km yesterday morning. Visibility on a clear day exceeds 10km.

The ministry said in a statement that it was working with the police and private plane companies to detect blazes through aerial surveillance. Pilots at Malaysia's main airlines have also been asked to report any fires that they notice.

People who conduct unauthorised open burning in Malaysia can face up to five years in prison.

Malaysia and Singapore have complained since 1997 about haze drifting in from Indonesia. The last time a severe haze affected both countries was in 2006. Indonesia has said that it lacks the money and technical expertise to curb or control the fires.

ASSOCIATED PRESS