Thick haze envelops Penang, Malaysia

The Star 20 Jul 09;

GEORGE TOWN: Penangites woke up to a thick cloud of haze hanging over the island with several landmarks disappearing from view till about 11am.

Motorists travelling along the Bayan Lepas Expressway yesterday said they could not see the middle span of the Penang Bridge and the buildings on the mainland.

“I thought the haze was bad on Saturday but this morning it was worse,” said businessman K. Manimaran, who used the bridge at 8.45am.

Visibility dropped to 1km in Butterworth and Prai from 7am but it improved to 5km at 2pm. On Penang Bridge, visibility was 4km at 7am but cleared up by 2pm after a brief shower at about 11am.

A Meteorological Department spokesman said the hazy spell in Penang was caused by 60 hotspots in Sumatra.

As at 5pm yesterday, Kuala Selangor, Port Klang and Seberang Prai in Penang are among those that recorded the worst air quality in the country. The Department of Environment’s (DOE) website showed that 79% of the country recorded ‘moderate’ status in covering 38 places.

About 4% of the country recorded ‘unhealthy’ levels in two areas while 16% of the country was in the green ‘good’ status.

Langkawi, Kangar, Tawau and Limbang recorded the ‘healthiest’ levels.