The Star 12 Aug 12;
GEORGE TOWN: The haze, which enveloped several areas in Penang over the last few days, has worsened with higher Air Pollutant Index (API) reading and reduced visibility.
State Health, Welfare, Caring Society and Environment Committee Chairman, Phee Boon Poh said moderate API readings of 76 to 96 were recorded up to 11am Sunday compared to only 64 to 94 at 5pm Saturday.
"Sumatra has more than 200 hotspots that can catch fire during hot weather. Monsoon winds blow the smoke over the border to Peninsular Malaysia," he told Bernama here Sunday.
Seberang Jaya recorded reading of 96 with 2km visibility, Perai 85 with 6km visibility and Bayan Lepas 68 with 4km visibility.
The API readings were recorded from 7am to 11am. Phee said the situation is expected to improve next week as rainfall is expected in several areas in Penang.
"Residents must avoid the rain as it may be acidic and harmful to health, reduce recreational activities, use public transport and drink plenty of water," he added.
API reading of 0-50 is categorised as good, 51-100 moderate, 101-200 unhealthy, 201-300 very unhealthy and over 300 hazardous. - Bernama
Air quality worsens in northern states
Hafiz Marzukhi, Andrea Filmer and Embun Majid The Star 13 Aug 12;
GEORGE TOWN: Residents in Kedah and Penang are getting worried for their health after the air quality in the states began to worsen since last week.
Checks revealed that the number of hotspots in Sumatra had increased by three-folds which contributed to the haze in the two states.
The Air Pollutant Index (API) readings surpassed 100 at the start of the day while the mainland side of Penang was getting closer to the dreaded mark.
A check with the Department of Environment website revealed that the API readings in Alor Setar was 108 at 11am compared to 104 at 7am.
The Universiti Sains Malaysia station on the island recorded an API reading of 76 at 7am before rising to 78 at 11am yesterday.
In Bayan Lepas, visibility was at 4km from 7am and held steady throughout the day.
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng called on the Department of Environment (DOE) to act against those who are found to conduct open burning.
Penang Health, Welfare, Caring Society and Environment chairman Phee Boon Poh advised the public to be careful of acid rain since the weather forecast showed that Penang would be facing rainy days in isolated areas starting from today and would continue throughout the week.
Meanwhile, DOE said the number of hotspots in Sumatra had increased from 88 on Friday to 239 on Saturday.
It attributed the situation to the uncontrolled open burning in central Sumatra.
This had resulted in the haze crossing the border and causing the air quality in the west coast of the peninsula to deteriorate, it said in a statement.
The department said three areas with unhealthy API levels were Port Klang, with a reading at 117 as at 11am, followed by Alor Setar (108) and Kangar (103).
Haze blankets Trang
The National 12 Aug 12;
Haze from forest fires on the Indonesian island of Sumatra and southern provinces has been covering all 10 districts of Trang province.
Apart from the forest fire on Sumatra Island, fires in the peat swamp forests in the neighbouring provinces of Nakhon Si Thammarat and Patthalung have also caused smog in Trang to be thicker, Amnuay Chantarat of Trang disaster prevention and mitigation office said on Sunday.
As the ongoing smog gripping this southern province has caused poor visibility, Amnuay warned drivers and motorists to be more careful when driving.
To prevent possible accidents, small trawlers in local fishing fleets were advised to operate their fishing activities during the late morning, he said. The thinck smogs have blanketed in the early morning and the evening.
In addition, persons having health problems were advised to refrain from outdoor exercises and activities during this period while residents were instructed to wear masks or cover their noses with wet cloths in order to prevent smog-related ailments.
In related development, the ongoing smog has worsened air quality in the lower South while the dust particles in Songkhla was at 135 microgrammes/cubic metre, exceeding the safety standard of 120 microgrammes/cubic metre, according to the Environment office Region 16 Songkhla.
