Andrea Filmer The Star 18 Jun 12;
PENANGITES woke up to a hazy Father’s Day which worsened as the day progressed, leaving the state on the brink of the ‘unhealthy’ Air Pollutant Index (API) level.
At 7am, the worse API reading in the state was seen in Seberang Prai at 88. It inched to 90 at 11am, before jumping to 98 at 5pm — just three points short of the ‘unhealthy’ category that begins at an API reading of 101.
The situation was only slightly better in Prai that went from 82 (7am) to 83 (11am) and finally recording an API reading of 88 at 5pm.
On Penang island, University Sains Malaysia started off with a reading of 73 at 7am which progressed to 80 at 5pm.
According to the Department of Environment website, the majority of the recorded pollution in the air at all three locations was particulate matter, also known as PM10.
The NOAA-18 satellite, which hovers over Borneo island, recorded a total of 163 hotspots in Sumatra as of 4.15pm yesterday, which is widely seen as a cause of the worsening haze.
A check with the Malaysian Meteorological Department showed that visibility in the state had also deteriorated during the day.
In Bayan Lepas, visibility started at 6km (8am to 1pm), then fell to 5km (1pm) and finally sunk to 4km (2pm to 5pm).
On Penang mainland, visibility was recorded at 6km (8am to 4pm) before falling to 5km around 5pm.
The Meteorological Department’s official portal also showed that no respite from Mother Nature is in sight with the weather forecast predicting no rain for the whole of this week.
Clearer skies over Klang Valley
New Straits Times 19 Jun 12;
AIR QUALITY: As Sumatran forests burn, rain provides relief here
THE haze blanketing Klang Valley the past few days appeared to have eased yesterday with a slight drop in Air Pollutant Index (API) readings.
The Department of Environment (DOE) website showed that the API readings for Klang Valley and other parts of the country were still within the moderate range of below 100.
As at 5pm yesterday, the air quality was moderate in 88 per cent of the country and good in other areas.
DOE classifies API readings of between 0 and 50 as "good", 51-100 as "moderate", 101-200 as "unhealthy", 201-300 as "very unhealthy" and more than 300 as "hazardous".
Seri Manjung and Tanjung Malim in Perak, Prai in Penang, Alor Star and Sungai Petani in Kedah, and Tanah Merah in Kelantan recorded a reading of between 86-97.
DOE director-general Halimah Hassan said the haze was expected to continue as the Sumatran forest fires were still raging.
"The southwesterly wind is blowing from more than 163 hotspots (on Sunday) detected in Sumatra," she said.
Although the haze could only be cleared after prolonged heavy rain, she said isolated rain and showers expected over Selangor in the next few days would provide relief.
On open burning cases here, Halimah said 29 cases of small fires were reported since last Thursday.
The total ban on open burning was imposed on Saturday in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.
On the enforcement measures, she said DOE had mobilised more officers to check factories and motor vehicle emissions. The hot and dry weather is expected to continue until September.
Satellite images from the Singapore Meteorological Services showed 310 hotspots in Sumatra at 4.05pm yesterday, almost double the number detected on Sunday.
In Peninsular Malaysia, however, only eight hotspots were found.
Meanwhile, Education Ministry director (day school management division) Datuk Mazlan Mohamad encouraged students to wear face masks, reduce outdoor activities and keep themselves hydrated at all times.
He said schools should follow the ministry's circular issued in 2010 on steps to be taken to ensure the health and safety of students located in hazardous API reading zones. Currently, he said, the ministry had not been directed to provide masks to schools.
Meanwhile, Malaysia Airports (Sepang) Sdn Bhd said the condition was not bad enough to consider flight diversions.
General manager Mohammad Suhaimi Abdul Mubin said diversions would only be advised when visibility at KLIA was below 400m.
"Despite the haze at KLIA, visibility is still good at 800m till today," he said, adding there had been no flight diversions to date.
Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd said the sudden high demand during the haze had caused a temporary water shortage in Selangor, but the situation was now under control.
Corporate Affairs executive director Abdul Halem Mat Som said the water disruption and low water pressure was because of the high demand for water on hot days.
"Our reservoir levels dropped faster than usual. We urge consumers to use water wisely," he said.
Haze plagues Malaysia; could Singapore be next?
my paper AsiaOne 18 Jun 12;
KUALA LUMPUR - Klang Valley residents were given a respite from the haze after it rained yesterday.
Coupled with strong winds, the haze, which had risen to unhealthy levels since last Friday, appeared to have lifted somewhat, Bernama reported yesterday.
As at 5pm yesterday, the Department of Environment (DOE) website showed only Kuala Selangor (109), Port Klang (114) and Shah Alam (103) having unhealthy air-pollutant readings. Petaling Jaya had moderate air quality at a reading of 90.
Readings of 101 to 200 are deemed unhealthy, while good air quality is 50 and below.
Most other areas in the country recorded moderate to good air quality.
In Johor, the readings yesterday ranged from 40 to 54, while Singapore's Pollutant Standards Index edged up to 51 as of 4pm yesterday.
Singapore's National Environment Agency has said the island could experience brief periods of slightly hazy conditions should the fires in Indonesia persist and if the wind conditions change to take the smoke further south.
A satellite image issued by the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre showed 80 hot spots in Sumatra, compared with nine last Friday, according to Bernama.
The Malaysian authorities are thus stepping up vigilance against the haze nationwide, as southwesterly winds continue to carry smoke from central Sumatra to the west coast of peninsular Malaysia.
The DOE has imposed a blanket ban on open burning in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, The Star newspaper reported yesterday.
DOE director-general Halimah Hassan said exceptions would be given only for religious and funeral rites, and grills or barbecues.
The offence carries a penalty of up to five years' jail or a fine of up to RM500,000 (S$200,600), or both.
Meanwhile, the Education Ministry opened an operations room in Putrajaya last Saturday to monitor the haze and keep schools informed on whether to stay open.
"The department will decide whether to close schools only when the API (Air Pollution Index) approaches 300. An operations room has been set up in Putrajaya to monitor the situation," Education Ministry director-general Abdul Ghafar Mahmud told The New Straits Times.
An API reading of more than 300 is rated as "hazardous".
However, the situation was not so bad as to require flight diversions, Malaysia Airports told The Star last Saturday.
