The Star 8 Sep 15;
PETALING JAYA: Over 300 cases of open burning, forest and peat fires nationwide were recorded from Aug 31 to Sept 4.
A check with the Fire and Rescue Department’s website revealed 317 cases for the period.
This is despite the ban on open burning in several states.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the order to ban open burning in states such as Selangor, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya had been enforced since March last year.
He said the notice prohibits all form of open burning in those areas except for cremation, religious purposes, barbecue and flaring.
“The order is still enforced till today,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Dr Wan Junaidi also said based on the Hysplit Model to predict the haze conditions used by the Malaysian Meteorological Department on Sept 6, smoke from hotspots in south Sumatra is expected to spread across the Straits of Malacca towards the middle of the peninsula.
“The haze is expected to travel across Pahang and to Johor in the next 48 hours.
“The smoke from the hotspots in West Kalimantan is expected to travel to the west of Sarawak and then head towards Sabah in the next 48 hours as well.
“Haze from hotspots in East Kalimantan is expected to move across the east coast of Sabah in the next 24 to 48 hours,” said Dr Wan Junaidi.
Yesterday, seven locations around the country recorded deteriorating air quality according to the DOE’s website.
Among the areas are Muar in Johor, Malacca city as well as Batu Muda and Cheras in Kuala Lumpur.
A hazy Tuesday, with unhealthy API readings in seven areas
RAHMAH GHAZALI The Star 8 Sep 15;
PETALING JAYA: Seven areas in Peninsula Malaysia recorded unhealthy air pollutant index (API) readings as at 8am Tuesday.
Nilai recorded the highest API reading at 135 followed by Bukit Rambai (126), Port Dickson (117), Seremban (114), Batu Muda (112), Malacca (110), and Banting (107).
Several other areas recorded high moderate readings, such as Port Klang (97), Putrajaya (95), Muar (95) and Shah Alam (91).
Meanwhile, Sarawak, which was previously the worst-hit state, recorded moderate-to-good API readings.
Samarahan recorded 88, followed by Sri Aman (82) and Kuching (77), with Limbang having the lowest API reading of 20.
The haze is due to open burning in Indonesia’s Sumatra and Kalimantan provinces as it is the fastest way to clear plantation and forest lands.
According to the Meteorological Department, both provinces continued to be shrouded in widespread moderate to dense smoke haze.
API readings of between 0 and 50 indicate good air quality; 51 and 100, moderate; 101 and 200, unhealthy; 201 and 300, very unhealthy; and over 301, hazardous.
