Carolyn Hong Straits Times 16 Jun 12;
KUALA LUMPUR - Haze blanketed Kuala Lumpur and its surrounding areas yesterday as smoke from several large fires blew in from Sumatra to Peninsular Malaysia.
Four areas recorded air quality that was deemed 'unhealthy' as at 5pm. Three of them are in central Selangor - Kuala Selangor, Port Klang and Shah Alam. The pollutant level in Petaling Jaya was almost as high.
The fourth 'unhealthy' area was Cheras in Kuala Lumpur.
The worst reading yesterday was recorded in Port Klang, with an air pollutant score of 147 at 5pm.
A reading in the range of 100 to 200 is considered 'unhealthy', with 201 to 300 deemed 'very unhealthy'. Anything higher than 300 is 'hazardous'.
Visibility was low in the Klang Valley, at around 2km, throughout the day. In good weather, the visibility is usually over 10km.
The haze has also covered parts of Kalimantan and Java.
Many Malaysians took to the social media networks, especially Twitter, to complain about the haze that compounded the discomfort of the dry and hot weather.
A Department of Environment (DOE) statement said the haze was due to smoke blowing in from Sumatra in Indonesia in the last two days. It said the hazy conditions would last for a few days because of the dry weather in the northern and western coastal states of Peninsular Malaysia.
Satellite images showed an increasing number of hot spots in Sumatra from Tuesday. But by yesterday, the number was reduced significantly.
A spokesman for the National Meteorological, Climatology and Geophysics Agency's office in Pekanbaru, capital of Riau in Sumatra, told The Straits Times that seven hot spots were detected in the province yesterday, down from 27 on Thursday.
They were spread out in the stretch across the Strait of Malacca from Selangor down to Singapore and Batam.
He said the authorities will carry out cloud seeding operations to induce rain if the fires continue.
In the town of Dumai, the urban area closest to the fires, the air was thick with haze from sunrise till about 1pm, local government spokesman Darmawan said.
'It was not too dangerous, and visibility was enough for traffic to move about safely,' he said.
But he said officials had yet to determine the cause of the haze.
Every year, farmers and plantation companies in Riau and its neighbouring provinces clear their land for planting.
Many often use the cheaper but illegal slash-and-burn method, which is the chief cause of haze.
Additional reporting by Zakir Hussain in Jakarta
Haze worsens, rainfall unlikely in next few days
The Star 16 Jun 12;
KUALA LUMPUR: The Air Pollutant Index (API) in several areas in the Klang Valley worsened further with an additional area recording an unhealthy API Friday evening, compared to three previously.
A blanket of haze seen over Klang town, at 11.30am on Friday.
A Department of Environment (DOE) index release as at 5pm showed that the API in Cheras had deteriorated to 105, compared to a reading of 91 earlier.
The API in Port Klang and Shah Alam went up to 147 and 120 respectively, compared to 130 and 106 this morning whereas Kuala Selangor showed a slight improvement at 129 in contrast to 131.
The three areas with unhealthy API are Kuala Selangor (129), Port Klang (147) and Shah Alam (120).
Meanwhile, 34 areas recorded a moderate API reading between 51 and 100, while the number of areas with 'Good' API dropped to 12 from 14 earlier today.
Among the areas with 'moderate' API were Petaling Jaya and Batu Muda, Kuala Lumpur at 99, Banting (95), Sri Manjung (92), Tanah Merah (88), Putrajaya (78) and Perai (74).
A statement from the DOE said that the bad air quality in the Klang Valley and Perak since Friday morning was due to haze drifting in from Sumatra, Indonesia.
The haze is expected to last for several days due to the forecast of a continued dry spell for several northern and west coast states at the moment.
It added that the satellite image by the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre showed an increasing number of hotspots in Sumatera, Indonesia since Tuesday.
The image also showed the haze drifting from Riau, Central Sumatera heading towards the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia.
Meanwhile, a weather forecaster at the Meteorological Department said that rainfall is unlikely to occur soon.
"We forecast slight rain in the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia towards middle or end of next week," he said.
The country is currently experiencing the Southwest Monsoon, which generally brings dry and hot weather. These conditions are expected to last until September, he added. - Bernama