The Star 1 Aug 14;
PETALING JAYA: The recent spell of rain in some parts of Selangor will soon come to an end, said the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MMD).
According to its senior officer Ambun Dindang, rain is expected to last only until the end of the week.
“The recent rains have really helped in reducing the haze, resulting in the air pollutant index registering at good and moderate levels.
“However, the situation will last only until this weekend. By next week, we expect dry weather from the southwestern monsoon.”
Ambun said peninsular Malaysia and the western parts of Sarawak would experience warmer temperatures, but Sabah would remain unaffected.
“The dry spell will probably last until September but within that period, there will be rain. It won’t be totally dry but compared to other seasons, it will be relatively drier.”
On possible water shortage in the Klang Valley, Ambun assured residents that cloud seeding would continue.
“It’s an ongoing programme, but to be successful, we need suitable clouds. In this case, cloud monitoring is done on a daily basis.”
The number of open burning cases in the country continues to rise from 4,007 on July 5 to 4,408 on Tuesday and 4,413 yesterday.
This time, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri G. Palanivel said the breakdown was agricultural areas (1,436 cases), undergrowth (1,013 cases), forested areas (898 cases), construction sites (137 cases), garbage dump (77 cases) and industrial areas (34 cases).
Satellite imagery by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had also detected 132 hotspots in Sumatra and 87 in Kalimantan on Wednesday.
“There were also eight hotspots in the country – seven in Sarawak and one in Perak,” he said, adding that the forest fire in Gunung Jambusan, Sarawak, had yet to be completely doused.
Rain provides brief respite
The Star 31 Jul 14;
PETALING JAYA: Just when it was going to get worse, it got better. Malaysians in the central and southern peninsula can expect a short respite from the dry, hazy conditions.
According to the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MMD), it has also been raining over central Sumatra, where the haze hotspots are concentrated, thus reducing the number of fires in the area.
“Hazy conditions are slowly beginning to improve, thanks to the rain pouring over both peninsular Malaysia and central Sumatra since Monday.
“At the moment, southwesterly winds are weak with a speed of about 10kph, allowing for rain in some parts of the peninsula,” he said.
However, the rain was not expected to last beyond the end of next week, as the southwesterly winds may become stronger after that, blowing at speeds of about 30kph.
“It is possible that the rains will slow towards the end of next week, leaving the country with the dry season that is expected to last until September. The winds may become stronger after next week, especially if the tropical storm east of Philippines intensifies, as the storm will absorb the moisture around it.”
A check with the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) revealed there were no hotspots in Malaysia, a marked improvement from the seven hotspots found on Monday.
However, Sumatra still had 98 hotspot counts, while Kalimantan had 59.
For the haze to clear within the end of next week, the official said it was dependent on whether there would be enough rain at the hotspots.
“If it rains at the hotspots, this will help reduce the number of open burning incidents that contribute to the haze. If not, the southwesterly winds will pick up the smoke from the hotspots and blow it towards the peninsula, causing the haze to thicken.”
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 the Riau province, which was at the centre of an air pollution crisis last year.
The rain was also welcomed by people over social media.
Joylynn @tjoylynn tweeted: “i can see clearly now that the haze is gone. was beginning to wonder if i need glasses haha Praise God Maker of all, even the rain and wind.”
Lynn Zulkarim @LynnZulkarim said: “Super heavy rain in JB Alhamdulillah. Hoping for one in KL too to clear the haze and heat!”
HAZE: Air quality nationwide sees improvement
New Straits Times 31 Jul 14;
KUALA LUMPUR: Air quality in the country saw an improvement today, with no area having the Air Pollutant Index (API) at the unhealthy level as at 8 am compared to two yesterday.
The API in Sibu and Sri Aman in Sarawak, which had API at the unhealthy level yesterday, was the moderate API level of 95 and 82, respectively, at 8 am today, according to the portal of the Department of Environment (DoE).
Seventeen other areas had API at the moderate level as well, they being Bakar Arang, Sungai Petani (61) in Kedah; Jalan Tasek, Ipoh (51), Kg Air Putih, Taiping (61), SK Jalan Pegoh, Ipoh (55) and Seri Manjung (54) in Perak.
Prai (52), Seberang Jaya 2, Prai (59) and USM (53) in Penang; Bintulu (57), ILP Miri (55), Kuching (61), Miri (63), Samarahan (75) and Sarikei (55) in Sarawak; Port Klang (52) in Selangor; Cheras (56) in Kuala Lumpur and Labuan (54).
According to the portal, good air quality was recorded in 30 areas.
An API reading of between zero and 50 indicates good air quality; between 51 and 100, moderate; between 101 and 200, unhealthy; between 201 and 300, very unhealthy and over 301, hazardous.
Members of the public can refer to the DOE portal at http://www.doe.gov.my to find out the API reading for their areas. - BERNAMA
Level at 2 major dams below 55pc
New Straits Times 1 Aug 14;
KUALA LUMPUR: According to statistics from the Selangor Water Management Authority (Luas), water at two of the eight dams in Selangor is below the minimum level of 55 per cent.
Statistics from Luas website, www.iwrims.luas.gov.my, show the water level of the Sungai Selangor dam is at 33.46 per cent and Sungai Tinggi dam at 47.39 per cent.
Water was at the highest level at the Batu Dam at 82.99 per cent, followed by the Semenyih dam (77.87 per cent), Klang Gates dam (70.66 per cent), Subang Lake dam (67.14 per cent), Langat dam (63.26 per cent) and Sungai Labu Water Retention Pond (59.57 per cent). Bernama
