The Star 8 Oct 15;
PETALING JAYA: Sabah and Sarawak are expected to have clearer skies while the south and west of peninsula Malaysia are likely to experience haze over the next few days.
This, said the Meteorological Department, was due to the south-easterly winds that were expected to remain.
“Sabah and Sarawak, however, are expected to be free of transboundary haze during the period,” said the department’s director-general Datuk Che Gayah Ismail yesterday.
He said the situation over the country had improved in general, as the majority of the Meteorological Department’s stations recorded visibility of more than 3km as of yesterday afternoon.
However, areas such as Kluang, Langkawi, Batu Embun in Pahang and Petaling Jaya recorded visibility of between 1.5km and 2.5km.
“As of noon, all stations in Sabah and most stations in Sarawak, except Kuching and Limbang, recorded visibility of more than 10km,” said Che Gayah.
Kuching and Limbang recorded visibility of 8km and 9km respectively.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said Malaysia is also expected to encounter weak winds from various directions until Oct 12 with the end of the tropical storm Mujigae in the north of Vietnam.
He said in a statement that based on satellite images, there were three hotspots in Kalimantan and 121 hotspots in Sumatera.
“Only one hotspot was discovered in Pahang,” said the minister.
As of 1pm yesterday, Port Dickson, was the only area that recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) reading of 101. The readings became moderate after 2pm.
As of 4pm, 14 areas recorded good API readings while 38 areas recorded moderate API readings.
An API reading of 0 to 50 indicates good air quality; 51 to 100, moderate; 101 to 200, unhealthy; 201 to 300, very unhealthy and 300 and above, hazardous.
In Langkawi, the API reading was 75 at 4pm after it recorded unhealthy readings in the early hours of the morning until 9am.
After the schools reopened in Penang yesterday and a downpour the day before, the readings in the state dropped to moderate levels.
Haze: Less than 3km visibility until Thursday
New Straits Times 7 Oct 15;
KUALA LUMPUR: Visibility of less than three kilometres in the waters off Kedah, Penang, Perak, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Malacca, Johor, Pahang and Sarawak is expected to persist until Thursday (Oct 8).
This condition is dangerous to ships that are not equipped with navigational equipment, said the Malaysian Meteorological Department in a statement today.
The same situation is also reported in waters off the Straits of Malacca, Tioman, Bunguran, Kuching and Reef South.-- BERNAMA
