Kuala lumpur: Air quality in Sri Aman, Sarawak, has significantly deteriorated, reaching a very unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) reading of 211 as of 2 pm today. Furthermore, 21 other areas across the nation reported unhealthy air quality levels.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Department of Environment (DOE) deputy director-general (Development) Azuri Azizah Saedon highlighted that 44 areas recorded moderate air quality, and only one area maintained a good air quality status. In Sarawak, other areas experiencing unhealthy API levels include Serian with a reading of 182, Sarikei at 159, Kuching at 157, Bintulu at 120, Miri at 116, and Sibu at 101.
The situation is echoed in Peninsular Malaysia, where areas such as Cheras in Kuala Lumpur reported an API of 160, Seberang Perai and Minden in Penang at 158, Taiping in Perak at 155, Seberang Jaya in Penang and Sungai Petani in Kedah at 154, and Johan Setia in Shah Alam, Selangor, as well as Batu Muda in Kuala Lumpur, both at 152.
Additional areas affected include Alor Setar in Kedah at 151, Tasek Ipoh in Perak at 150, Putrajaya at 147, Petaling Jaya in Selangor at 126, Seremban in Negeri Sembilan at 114, and Tanjung Malim in Perak at 104. Azuri Azizah noted that the air quality decline is attributed to haze movement from various directions impacting west coast states of Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak.
The ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) reported 514 hotspots in Kalimantan and 176 in Sumatera, with three hotspots spotted in Malaysia, specifically in Johor, Sarawak, and Terengganu. Today's ASMC Regional Haze Map indicated dry conditions across southern ASEAN and moderate-to-dense haze in western Borneo.
Moderate-to-dense smoke plumes were also observed in Kalimantan and central and southern Sumatera, with several monitoring stations reporting air quality from unhealthy to hazardous levels. In response, the DOE has intensified enforcement and daily patrols in open burning-prone areas and activated the National Open Burning Action Plan and the National Haze Action Plan.
The DOE advises landowners to monitor fire-prone zones like landfills, forests, peatlands, plantations, agricultural zones, and industrial sites, urging them to prevent encroachment that could lead to open burning.