fbpx

Haze likely to continue

PETALING JAYA: The haze in the country from the fires in Indonesia is expected to persist due to the southwest monsoon winds, according to the Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia).

“Our latest monitoring showed that there is still a slight haze in the peninsula and west Sarawak following an increase in hotspots in Riau, southern Sumatra and Kalimantan, ” MetMalaysia director-general Jailan Simon said.

Four hotspots, which are areas with possible active fires, were also detected in the peninsula yesterday. All the sites were located in Pahang.

Jailan said three of the locations recorded a visibility distance of below 5km.

“Any uncontrolled fire in Sumatra and West Kalimantan can cause recurring transboundary haze in our country. Open burning in our country can aggravate the haze situation as well, ” he said.

He added that while the haze in the west coast of the peninsula and west Sarawak a few days ago was due to the fires in Indonesia, local open burning is the cause of the haze in Pahang and southern Terengganu.

According to updates by the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC), the southern Asean region is expected to see an escalation of hotspot activities.

“In the southern Asean region, dry conditions are forecast to persist and an escalation of hotspot activities can be expected.

“The prevailing winds over the southern Asean region are expected to blow from the southeast or south, ” it said in an update on its website yesterday.

Checks on the Department of Environment’s Air Pollutant Index (API) website showed all stations in Malaysia were classified as “moderate”, except for two stations.

The Indera Mahkota, Kuantan station recorded an “unhealthy” API level of up to 110 yesterday while Bintulu, Sarawak recorded an API level of up to 106.

API levels of 51 to 100 are classified as “moderate”, API levels above 100 are considered “unhealthy” and above 200 is “very unhealthy”.

Global Environment Centre (GEC) director Faizal Parish said the fires in Sumatra are occurring in degraded peatlands impacted by the current dry season.

“Sources of small-scale fires to clear land for agriculture and plantation are increasing fire risk in adjacent peatland areas, ” he added.

The GEC works with the Malaysian government on preventing fires in peatland areas, and also provides advice to the Indonesian government on fire prevention and control.

Source: TheStar