Haze is back in Malaysia
T K Letchumy Tamboo
Julai 22, 2013 10:46 MYT
Julai 22, 2013 10:46 MYT
Malaysians will not be witnessing blue skies and breathe in fresh air for a while because the haze is back.
The Department of Environment, which confirmed the matter said that there was an increase in the total areas that recorded an unhealthy Air Pollution Index (API) since yesterday evening.
The department said the cause of the deteriorating air quality is influenced by transboundary haze pollution.
“The report that is released by the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) shows that the hotspots in Sumatera have increased drastically from 159 to 261 yesterday.
“A total of 19 hotspots have been detected in Malaysia yesterday including in Johor (7), Kelantan (4), Pahang (4), Perak (2), Selangor (1) and Sabah (1).
“We will carry out investigations and enforcement in every detected hotspot areas,” said the department in a statement.
As at 4pm, a total of five areas recorded an unhealthy air quality.
The Bukit Rambai area in Malacca recorded the highest API so far with a reading of 122.
This is followed by Cheras with a reading of 117, Banting at 111, Muar at 102 and Bandaraya Melaka at 101.
Following that, the department has taken necessary measures to prevent open burning including activating the Open Burning Prevention Plan in all state levels.
Meanwhile, Malaysians from all walks of life have taken to the social media to complain about the haze.