The Star 30 Jul 14;
KUALA LUMPUR: Two areas recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings as of 7am Wednesday.
According to the Department of Environment portal, the two affected areas in Sarawak, are Sibu (127) and Sri Aman (102).
Nineteen other locations recorded moderate air quality including Nilai (52), Tanjung Malim (55), Port Klang (87) and Petaling Jaya (73).
An API reading of between 0 and 50 is considered good; 51 to 100, moderate; 101 to 200, unhealthy; 201 to 300, very unhealthy; and 301 and above, hazardous. – Bernama
Dry spell until September
KOI KYE LEE AND DENNIS WONG New Straits Times 30 Jul 14;
PUTRAJAYA: THE Natural Resources and Environ ment Ministry said the current hot and dry spell since May following the south-west monsoon, is expected to last un til September.
Its minister, Datuk Seri G. Palanivel, said the hot and dry spell and the El Nino impact wouldwill result in open fires.
He said based on the Asean Specialised Meteorological (ASMC) report, there were 133 hot spots in Sumatra and 32 in Kali mantan, Indonesia, respectively.
He said in a statement yesterday that the ASMC report had also shown satellite images with haze traces at open fire areas in Riau and West Kalimantan, Indonesia.
“The satellite images also show that there is moderate haze movement towards the centre of west coast in the peninsula.”," Palanivel said.
He added that 11 hot spots had been de tected in the country: , mainly in Sarawak (four); Pa hang (two); Kelantan (two); Selangor (one); Negri Sembilan (one) and Johor (one).
“The hot spots in the country will be investigated and ne cessary enforcement actions will be taken.”
As of 2pm yesterday, the Air Pollution In dex (API) showed nine places with unhealthy readings: Samarahan, Sarawak (106); Sibu, Sarawak (155); Sri Aman, Sarawak (105); Banting, Selangor (124); Port Klang, Selangor (113); Petaling Jaya, Selangor (105); Batu Muda, Kuala Lumpur (134); Cheras, Kuala Lumpur (123) and Putrajaya (120).
He also said that the ministry had activated the ac tion plan to prevent open burning in the country since Feb ruary in a bid to tackle the hot and dry season brought by the monsoon and El Nino phe nomenon.
Among oOther actions the ministry had taken to address the issue was to monitor peat fires, aside from enforcing the open burning pro hibition order in states such as Selangor, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Kuala Lumpur and Putra jaya.
Palanivel said under the order, which was activated in March, the public was prohibited from con ducting open burning, with the exception of religious activities, cremations or barbe cues.
He said the Department of Environment (DOE) had detected 4,408 open burning in the country from January to July 28, and 315 cases had been compounded and 101 cases received warning notices.
It was also learnt that 45 open burning cases in the country would be referred for further action. Fourteen of them had been referred to the deputy public prosecutor and five cases would be prosecuted in the Sessions Court.
Meanwhile in Kuching the long dry spell has created haze in several areas. Among the areas badly hit was Sibu with the Air Pollutant Index reaching unhealthy level of 165 at noon.
"On Monday the situation here was even worse. It was white all over and visibility was poor," said 46-year-old local resident Ramli Bolhassan.
Ramli said the poor weather condition had dampened Hari Raya festivities and many were not going outdoors.
Ramli believed that the poor air condition was also due to open burning activities at nearby oil palm plantation.
"I was told by my relatives that several plantations in nearby districts such as Mukah and Sarikei are also doing open burning. This might be one of the contributing factors for the poor air condition," he said.
On Monday, Sibu's API reached 261 which was Very Unhealthy level. Samarahan and Sri Aman also experienced poor air quality yesterday with both areas recording an API of 106.
Hazy Raya with big rise in hotspots
YUEN MEIKENG AND P. ARUNA The Star 30 Jul 14;
PETALING JAYA: Hari Raya turned out to be a hazy one nationwide with many areas recording unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings.
There has been a 40% increase in patients with haze-related respiratory and skin problems at clinics and hospitals checked.
At 5pm yesterday, the worst hit area was Sibu with a reading of 145, followed by Batu Muda at 132 and Port Klang and Cheras, both at 117.
Other areas with unhealthy readings were Samarahan, Sri Aman, Banting, Petaling Jaya and Putra-jaya.
The poor air quality in Sibu was due to a forest fire that broke out in the Bukit Lima Forest Park.
Visibility in Petaling Jaya dropped to less than one kilometre due to the thick smog while in Subang, it dropped to less than five kilometres.
While several people complained bitterly on social media about how the haze was ruining their health and had restricted their Hari Raya celebrations, others decided to take advantage of the public holiday and set out with their families to the zoo to see the pandas in their air-conditioned enclosures or for picnics.
While the haze is expected to last until September, Natural Resources and Enviroment Minister Datuk Seri G. Palanivel warned Malaysians that they would have to endure the current thick smog for at least another day.
Malaysian Meteorological Depart-ment (MMD) spokesman Dr Hisham Mohd Anip said the current weak winds, which were blowing at less than 10kph, would not blow the haze away.
“The wind strength has been weak since yesterday (Monday). As a result, the thick haze might stay at least until tomorrow (Wednesday),” he said yesterday.
He added that the situation was made worse by the forecast of little rain until the end of next week.
In peninsula Malaysia, seven hotspots were detected on Monday while in Borneo, nine hotspots were found.
The rapidly increasing number of forest fires on Sumatra also indicates that the haze situation here is unlikely to clear up any time soon.
Indonesia’s disaster agency had warned last month that Malaysia and Singapore could be badly hit by haze again after a large number of forest fires in Riau province, which was at the centre of an air pollution crisis last year.
On Monday, there were 133 hotspots detected on the island based on satellite images from the Meteorological Service Singapore website.
In a statement yesterday, Palanivel said there had been 4,408 cases of open burning locally from January until July 28.
Of this, there were 1,436 cases on agricultural land, 897 in forested areas and 1,011 bush fires.
“There have been 818 cases of small open burning incidents, 137 in construction areas, 75 at dumpsites and 34 in industrial areas,” he added.
Palanivel said 45 investigation papers were opened and compound notices had been sent to those involved in 315 open burning cases, adding that warning letters were sent for 101 other cases.
Under Section 29(A) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974, those convicted of open burning can be fined up to RM500,000 or sentenced to a jail term of up to five years or both.
They also face a maximum compound of RM2,000 for each offence.
Malaysia air quality 'unhealthy' as haze obscures skies
AFP 29 Jul 14;
Air quality around Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur and on Borneo island was "unhealthy" on Tuesday, with one town reaching "very unhealthy" levels as haze -- mostly from forest fires in Indonesia -- obscured skies.
Kuala Lumpur residents wore face masks as protection from the choking smog, while visibility was low.
Nine out of some 50 measuring stations recorded air pollutant index readings above 100, which signify "unhealthy" air quality.
Readings in Sibu town in Sarawak state on Borneo breached 200 -- designated as "very unhealthy" -- on Monday, but recovered slightly Tuesday.
A reading of above 300 signifies "hazardous" air.
In Indonesia, the National Disaster Management Agency deployed a chopper to conduct water bombing to West Kalimantan on Borneo to tame 268 so-called hotspots detected in the province as haze also shrouded skies there and on Sumatra island.
In Riau on Sumatra, hundreds of military and police personnel as well as firefighters used water cannons to put out fires that stretched over more than 850 hectares of land.
"Ninety-nine percent of this fire is man-made," said National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.
"Hundreds of fire-fighters and volunteers are trying to put out the fire, but the fire, set alight by individuals and groups, are more intensified still."
Haze is an annual problem during drier summer months when monsoon winds blow smoke from fires mostly on the huge Indonesian island of Sumatra, which lies across the Malacca Strait from Malaysia and Singapore.
The fires have been largely blamed on palm oil firms using the illegal but cheap method of burning vast tracts of rainforest and peatland to clear them for planting.
Indonesian authorities had warned last month that Malaysia and Singapore could be hit by haze again after a huge jump in forest fires in Riau province, which was at the centre of an air pollution crisis last year.
Both Malaysia and Singapore were effected, with readings hitting 750 in one town in southern Malaysia in June last year.
This was the highest seen in the Southeast Asian country for 16 years, causing a declaration of emergency in several districts, school closures and a regional diplomatic row.
Malaysia -- usually known for its tropical heavy downpours -- this year has also been plagued by drought, leading to water rationing, particularly in the central state of Selangor, the country's economic hub, which surrounds the capital.
