The current haze situation is not expected to be as bad as the smog spell in June, one of the worst pollution levels in the country's history.
Air quality may also improve as early as the end of this week due to rain from an expected change in wind pattern, according to the Meteorological Department.
Until then, hazy skies are still expected to persist this week.
“Towards the end of this week we expect changes in the wind pattern, we also anticipate rain clouds to develop to bring some rain," said the department's central forecasting office director Muhammad Helmi Abdullah:
Muhammad Helmi said that rainfall, especially in West coast inland areas, would likely to improve the air quality.
“We don't expect it to be as bad as the June, but it is too early to tell how long this would last as we are still in the dry season,” he said.
The dry season in Malaysia typically lasts between May till September, with sporadic rain ‘breaks’ in between.
Helmi said that during the dry season, haze episodes may recur, though the situation also largely depends on hotspots in Sumatera. “If the number of hotspots increase, even if it rains it may not improve the condition," he said.
Helmi said that the absence of rain since Friday, and the dry weather in Sumatera that led to increase in hotspots, contributed to the haze particles being carried to Malaysia.
The public, he said, are advised to take the necessary precautions, such remaining indoors whenever possible and wearing masks.
In June, Air Pollutant Index(API) hit critical levels, surpassing the 500 mark(anything above 300 is rergarded hazardous).
Muar created 'history' when haze level sky rocketed to an API reading of 746.
A state of emergency was subsequently declared in Muar and Ledang districts with some schools being closed off for several days.
During the haze in 1997, Sarawak's API reading hit 800 and the state was declared as a state of emergency.
Likewise, in 2005, Kuala Selangor and Port Klang was declared as a state of emergency following severe haze in the areas.
Teoh El Sen
Tue Jul 23 2013
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