By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 27: Sarawak is bearing the brunt of worsening haze today, with Samarahan, Sri Aman and Serian recording Malaysia’s three highest Air Pollutant Index (API) readings as transboundary smoke from Kalimantan moves into the State.
As of 4pm, Samarahan recorded an unhealthy API reading of 158, followed by Sri Aman at 157 and Serian at 156, according to the Department of Environment (DoE).
Six other areas nationwide also recorded unhealthy air quality, namely Cheras, Kuala Lumpur (153), Johan Setia, Selangor (151), Putrajaya (114), Nilai, Negeri Sembilan (109), Batu Muda, Kuala Lumpur (107), and Shah Alam, Selangor (103).
The DoE says air quality has deteriorated in several parts of the country due to haze moving in from various directions.
The latest regional haze assessment points strongly towards smoke from across the border, with moderate to thick plumes from clusters of hotspots in West Kalimantan observed moving north towards western Sarawak.
The ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) had, on Aug 25, detected 266 hotspots in Kalimantan and another 164 in Sumatra through National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-20 satellite imagery.
Only four hotspots were detected within Malaysia, comprising one in Kelantan, two in Sabah and one in Terengganu.
ASMC’s regional haze map issued today showed dry weather prevailing across most of the southern ASEAN region, except northeastern Borneo, which received rainfall.
It also detected isolated to scattered hotspots across the region, with moderate to thick smoke plumes observed not only from West Kalimantan but also from other parts of Kalimantan and central and southern Sumatra.
Air quality monitoring stations in West and South Kalimantan, central and southern Sumatra, and western Sarawak have recorded readings ranging from unhealthy to hazardous.
However, cloud cover has prevented authorities from determining the full extent of hotspots and haze across the region.
With Samarahan, Sri Aman and Serian already above the unhealthy threshold of 150, the DoE says it has intensified enforcement action and daily patrols in areas vulnerable to open burning while monitoring API readings closely.
The National Open Burning Action Plan and National Haze Action Plan have also been activated to coordinate the response among government agencies.
Under the National Haze Action Plan, the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) will activate disaster management committees at district, state or federal level if API readings remain above 150 for more than 24 hours.
Outdoor activities outside classrooms must stop once API readings exceed 100. Schools, kindergartens and childcare centres must close immediately when readings go beyond 200.
Cloud seeding operations may also be carried out, subject to suitable cloud and weather conditions, if readings remain above 150 for more than 24 hours.
The DoE has urged landowners to keep close watch over fire-prone areas, including forests, peatlands, plantations, agricultural land, industrial areas and waste disposal sites, and prevent trespass that could lead to open burning.
Those found guilty of open burning face fines ranging from RM25,000 to RM1 million, up to five years’ imprisonment, or both, under the Environmental Quality (Amendment) Act 2024.
The public can check hourly API readings through the DoE’s Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS) and MyJAS EQMS mobile application, and report open burning or fires by calling the Fire and Rescue Department at 999 or the DoE’s toll-free line at 1-800-88-2727. — DayakDaily
