Kuala lumpur: Eleven air quality monitoring stations nationwide recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings as of 3 pm today, while one station in Sarawak recorded a very unhealthy reading as the haze situation persists.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) reported that the unhealthy readings included Cheras, Kuala Lumpur (122); Putrajaya (121); Shah Alam, Selangor (112); and eight stations in Sarawak, namely Miri (152), Samalaju (120), Bintulu (154), Sibu (135), Sarikei (161), Sri Aman (158), Samarahan (177) and Kuching (177). The IPD Serian station recorded an API reading of 204, placing it in the very unhealthy category.
NRES indicated that the haze situation, which has affected the country since August 8, was linked to the El Ni±o phenomenon coinciding with the Southwest Monsoon, resulting in below-average rainfall in several areas, particularly southern Peninsular Malaysia and western and southern Sarawak. The combination of low rainfall and high temperatures increased the risk of water shortages, forest and peatland fires, and haze.
In Sarawak, the deterioration in air quality was attributed to transboundary haze as well as local fires, including a landfill fire under the supervision of the Sibu Municipal Council involving about 1.5 hectares and forest and bush fires in Sri Aman covering about 100 hectares. Firefighting operations at both locations are ongoing.
Satellite monitoring by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA-20) yesterday detected 12 hotspots in Malaysia, comprising one in Pahang and 11 in Sarawak, compared with 60 in Sumatra and 354 in Kalimantan. NRES mentioned that dry weather was expected to persist across most southern ASEAN countries, increasing the risk of hotspots, haze, and transboundary haze.
ASEAN Alert Level 2 has been in effect since August 3, requiring countries in the southern ASEAN region, including Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Timor-Leste, to submit daily reports and emergency response measures for fire and haze incidents. Today, based on the Regional Haze Map and information from the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre, dry conditions prevailed across the southern ASEAN region, except for parts of northern Sumatra that experienced rain.