Halim Said New Straits Times 24 Jun 14;
JOHOR BARU: The recent dry weather and heatwave have resulted in haze hitting several areas in the state.
The Air Pollution Index (API) reading in the afternoon taken from Department of Environment website on several parts of Johor namely Kota Tinggi, Larkin Lama, Muar and Pasir Gudang showed a moderate level in the air quality.
However, the state government has not issued any directtive on closure of schools yet.
Johor Education, Information, Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Committee chairman Md Jais Sarday said the state government may form a special task force if the haze situation worsened.
"Like previous haze occurrences, the state will form a task force to deal with the haze issue if the air quality worsens," he said at the southern region trademark and industrial design seminar here today.
Poor air quality recorded in Selangor
EUNICE AU New Straits Times 24 Jun 14;
SHAH ALAM: The air quality in Banting reached unhealthy levels today while other areas in Selangor recorded increasingly deteriorating air quality.
The Air Pollutant Index (API) for Banting was hovering around 113 to 121 since 12am.
An API reading between 0 and 50 is good, 51 to 100 (moderate), 100 to 200 (unhealthy), 200 to 300 (very unhealthy) and more than 300 is hazardous.
Dept: Fire cases have doubled in the past week
The Star 24 Jun 14;
PETALING JAYA: The number of open burning, forest and peat fire cases around the country has more than doubled in just a week, from 416 to 999 yesterday.
A check on the Fire and Rescue Department’s website showed that the number ranged between 61 and 102 cases daily.
It was reported that more than 40ha of land was engulfed in flames last Friday near the KL International Airport as 10 firemen fought to bring the flames under control.
Cyberjaya Fire and Department head Izman Adnan said a major operation was being carried out to stop the peat fire at Km25 of the Elite Highway before its smoke affected motorists and air traffic.
Izman said it was the second time since February that the department had to put out a fire in the area.
Environment and Natural Resources Minister Datuk Seri G. Palanivel said peat land, especially in areas which caught fire often, was under constant monitoring under its standard operating procedure on the Prevention and Management of Fire in Peat Areas programme.
Under the programme, field checks would be carried out daily to monitor the water level at dams and to pump ground water to moisten the peat layers to prevent them from drying and catching fire easily.
The haze affecting several west coast areas in peninsular Malaysia was caused by burning activities in central Sumatra, said Palanivel.
“According to the Singapore-based Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre, moderate haze was detected from burning areas in the Riau region last Saturday,” he said.
Port Dickson and Seremban recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index readings as at 4pm yesterday while the air in Cheras was also unhealthy between 2pm and 3pm.
The Department of Environment urged the public to report open burning or forest fires to the Fire and Rescue Department at 999 or its hotline at 1-800-88-2727.
Dry weather to likely bring hazier situation in Peninsular Malaysia
The Star 25 Jun 14;
PETALING JAYA: The hot and dry weather will likely prolong the haze situation in Malaysia while the number of hot spots is expected to increase within the next few weeks, according to the Meteorological Department.
Its spokesman Dr Hisham Mohd Anip said the increase in the number of hot spots in Sumatra and the change in monsoon winds are likely to bring a hazier situation to Peninsular Malaysia.
“There is a possibility the haze will be worse than that early this year due to the movement of the wind from Indonesia.
“The wind below the upper atmosphere is a bit slow and the haze will move slowly,” he said yesterday.
The Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre reported 116 hot spots detected by US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite images in Sumatra on Sunday, and the number increased to 129 a day later.
Fifteen additional hot spots were detected in Peninsular Malaysia, three in Sabah and five in Sarawak.
Dr Hisham said there could be scattered showers in the middle of next week, which could reduce the impact of the haze.
Meanwhile, the air quality in Banting reached unhealthy levels yesterday while several other areas in Selangor recording increasingly deteriorating air quality.
The Air Pollutant Index (API) for Banting hovered from 113 to 121 from noon and by 3pm it was at 125.
Port Dickson recorded readings in the moderate range earlier but passed the unhealthy mark (100) at 8am. It reached 107 at 3pm.
Klang, Batu Muda, Cheras and Putrajaya also showed recordings above 100 at 3pm.
An API of between 51 and 100 is considered moderate, 101-200 unhealthy, 200-300 very unhealthy and 300 and above hazardous.
Sting in the hot, dry weather
The Star 25 Jun 14;
PETALING JAYA: The Aedes mosquito is more aggressive and bites more frequently in hot and dry weather, according to a dengue expert.
Prof Dr Sazaly Abu Bakar, who is with the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Arbovirus Research and Reference at Universiti Malaya, said the lack of water makes the mosquitoes more aggressive.
“They will breed and grow faster although their life cycle will be shorter and they will bite more often,” he warned.
He said many people would leave the doors and windows open in the hot weather, enabling mosquitoes to enter their homes more easily.
“They should protect themselves by putting mesh screens over doors and windows,” he said.
Dr Sazaly said there had been a spike in dengue cases at the Universiti Malaya Specialist Centre, with about 300 recorded per week last month, similar to the peak in cases recorded in March.
He advised people to stay indoors during dusk and dawn and use mosquito repellent when outdoors.
“People should wear light-coloured clothing as dark colours attract mosquitoes,” he added.
Dr Sazaly said homes and the surroundings should be checked for containers or places where there was stagnant water.
“During the hot and dry season, any pool of water left by rain attracts mosquitoes to breed.
“Aedes mosquitoes can even breed in an amount of water the size of a 20 sen coin,” he said.
He also advised the public with family members running a high fever to take extra precaution because the Aedes mosquito could spread dengue if it sucked blood from the sick person and then bit another.
Dry spell could see a drop in dengue cases: Subra
FAZLEENA AZIZ New Straits Times 24 Jun 14;
KUALA LUMPUR: An average of 1500 of dengue cases were reported weekly but the dry spell could see a drop in numbers Health minister Datuk Seri Dr Subramaniam said.
However, Dr. Subramaniam said the Aedes mosquito eggs can survive for six months without water, only needing some pool of water for it to hatch.
"We are at the peak in terms of number of cases so it is advisable for people especially those storing water to carry out anti-larvae measure to discourage mosquito breeding," Dr. Subramaniam said after launching the Astro Uruthunai Initiatives through 4 Wellness Camps today.
When asked about action taken by local authorities at abandon buildings in the city that are potential mosquito breeding grounds, Dr. Subramaniam said that Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) had the authority carry out action against building owners.
"Even if the company has gone bankrupt and under receivership, DBKL can carry out anti-dengue operation but the issue lies with the cost, which would have to be borne by them," he said.
Dr. Subramaniam also said that despite the high level of awareness among people on health issues such eating habits, intake of sugar, smoking and dengue, there was still a lack of participation.
He said people don't translate what they know about health related issue into actions.
"We need a change in attitude among the people and instill the importance of having a healthy lifestyle.
"This why wellness camps organised by media organisation are praised by the ministry because they're able to reach a wider scope of people.
"Enhancing the state health in the country is vital because we have become preoccupied with eating, hence becoming the most obese country in Asia and have unusually high diseases like diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol.
"All of these diseases are something within our control," he said.
The Astro Urunthunai Wellness Camp is held from June 28 to July 20 together with Pantai Hospital KL and Pantai Hospital Ipoh.
Venues for the camps are SMK Sultan Ahmad Shah, Cameron Highlands, SJK (T) Batu Caves, Selangor, SJK (T) Persiaran Raja Muda Musa, Port Klang and SJK (T) Kinrara, Puchong, where health screenings activities are carried out.
Saving water most effective way to face El Nino phenomenon
The Star 24 Jun 14;
KUALA LUMPUR: Consumers should practice the habit of saving water, which is the most effective step to help the nation face the El Nino phenomenon that is expected to hit next month.
According to researchers, residents in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Putrajaya should cultivate this habit from now.
Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (UPM) Faculty of Environmental Studies deputy dean, Prof Madya Dr Ahmad Makmom Abdullah said saving water was the most effective step to ensure that the water stored in the dams did not drop drastically during the phenomenon.
"We have to start saving water, because it (supply) is not sufficient. We cannot blame the suppliers because they are only trying various initiatives to increase the capacity of the dams, including water from mining pools," he told Bernama on Tuesday.
He said the water crisis would definitely recur, especially in the Klang Valley due to the hot weather and haze, and would have an impact on the water stored in the dams.
Latest records from the Selangor Water Management Authority revelaed that the water level in the Sungai Selangor dam was only at 43 percent and the dam supplies almost 60 percent of raw water to residents in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.
Meanwhile Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Water Research and Analysis Centre (ALIR) head Professor Dr Yang Farina Abdul Aziz said statistics provided by the National Water Service Commission (SPAN) in 2012 showed that average, Malaysians use an average of 212 litres of water per person per day while the World Health Organisation recommends only 160 litres of water per person per day.
"Clearly we are wasting water and this has to stop immediately. If not, the water crisis will happen because of the increasing demand for water, she said. - Bernama
