N. TRISHA The Star 5 Sep 19;
Stifling situation: Motorists driving on the Penang Bridge that is barely visible.
GEORGE TOWN: The public have been told to wear masks while outdoors as the state is expected to be hit by prolonged hazy conditions.
The advice came from state environment committee chairman Phee Boon Poh.
“The haze is here to stay as we are approaching the inter-monsoon period before the north-east monsoon starts in October.
“We have been monitoring the situation and over the past three days, the Air Pollutant Index (API) readings were between 75 and 88.
“The readings on the island are always higher than the mainland.
“Although it may still be below the critical level, we appeal to the people to avoid strenuous exercise, especially in urban areas.
“If you want to exercise, it will be better to go to parks such as the Penang Botanic Gardens or the Penang City Park,” he said.
A check with the Environment Department website at 1pm yesterday showed that the readings in Seberang Prai, Seberang Jaya, Balik Pulau and Minden were hovering between 78 and 90.
An API reading of between 0 and 50 is good while 51 to 100 is moderate, 101 to 200 is unhealthy, 201 to 300 very unhealthy, while anything beyond 300 is deemed hazardous.
Yesterday, the haze which came close to unhealthy levels blanketed several parts of George Town, with the Penang Bridge barely visible from a distance.
Phee said there were also higher than the normal cases of cough and flu reported in the state.
“It is important to drink more warm water during such weather,” he said.
However, there were no flight delays at the Penang International Airport (PIA) as visibility level was up to 5km.
PIA senior manager Mohd Nadzim Hashim said the haze was not as bad in terms of visibility standards.
“We only ground aircraft if visibility is below 800m,” he said.
Penangites brace for sore throat season as dry weather, haze roll in
N. TRISHA The Star 4 Sep 19;
GEORGE TOWN: Penang is bracing for sore throat season, what with the dry weather and hazy sky this week.
The haze, which isn't too far from the unhealthy reading of 101 and above on the Air Pollution Index (API), has lead to many people worrying about their health.
Many shared the API readings on social media and warned those heading out to work to wear a mask.
With the UPSR examination starting on Wednesday (Sept 4), the state's environment committee chairman Phee Boon Poh is urging everyone to use a face mask when stepping out of their homes.
"The haze is here to stay as we are approaching the inter-monsoon period before the North-East Monsoon starting in October.
"We have been monitoring the haze, and it shows that the past three days have had API readings between 75 to 88, with the haze on the island always reading higher than the mainland.
"Although it may still be below the critical level, we appeal to the people to avoid strenuous exercise, especially in urban areas.
"If you do want to exercise, it would be better to do so in parks such as the Botanical Gardens or the Penang City Park," said Phee.
He added that there were higher-than-normal number of cough and flu cases in the state.
"It's important to drink more warm water during such weather," he said.
A check on the Department of Environment (DoE) website at 1pm on Wednesday showed that the readings in Seberang Prai, Seberang Jaya, Balik Pulau and Minden were hovering between 78 and 90.
An API reading of between 0 and 50 is good while 51 to 100 is moderate, 101 to 200 is unhealthy, 201 to 300 very unhealthy, and 301 and above deemed hazardous.
Smog hits Miri again, API reading at 116
Stephen Then The Star 4 Sep 19;
MIRI: Miri district has again been hit by smog emanating from local wildfires.
The Air Pollutant Index as at 11am on Wednesday (Sept 4) was an unhealthy 116.
Sarawak State Disaster Relief Management Committee and Miri Fire and Rescue Department in their latest updates both mentioned Miri as the site in Sarawak suffering the brunt of the latest haze.
Miri fire chief Supt Law Poh Kiong said the unhealthy air level in Miri started during the early hours of Wednesday (Sept 4).
He said there were three new fires in the forested areas of Miri district. These were wildfires caused by deliberate burning of land, he added.
Firefighters were trying their best to tackle the fires, he said.
Transboundary haze coming: 455 hotspots in Kalimantan
Stephen Then The Star 5 Sep 19;
MIRI: Even as Sarawak battles new wildfires cases daily, the number of hot spots in neighbouring Kalimantan has shot up by three times within a day.
The fear of serious transboundary haze coming into Sarawak had grown, said the State Disaster Relief Management Committee on Thursday morning (Sept 5).
There are 455 hotspots in Kalimantan and four in Sarawak this morning, it said in this latest update.
Visibility in Kuching has been reduced to 4km.
Three places in Sarawak are reporting unhealthy air pollutant index level of above 100. They are Sri Aman (122), Samarahan (105) and Miri (101).
Mejar Ismail Mahedin, secretary of Sarawak Disaster Relief Management committee, said haze from Kalimantan was expected to hit Sarawak if the wind blew into the state from there.
There are 455 hot spots
"The number of hot spots today in Kalimantan has tripled from yesterday.
"That will bring haze into Kuching, Samarahan and Sri Aman depending on the wind direction," he said.
A hot spot is a wildfire that is at least one square kilometre in size and is big enough to be detected from satellites in outer space.
They appear as red dots in satellite images.
Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department in its latest update said inside Sarawak, there was on average of about 10 new wildfire cases being reported daily.
On Wednesday alone, there were 19 cases reported. Firefighters were doing their best to tackle these fires, it added.
