By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 8: Schools, kindergartens, and childcare centres in areas that record Air Pollutant Index (API) readings exceeding 200 have been instructed to immediately close as part of the National Haze Action Plan, says the Department of Environment (DOE).
In a statement issued today, it said continuous monitoring of API readings is required, and if the trend indicates that readings are rising towards 200, preparations must be made to close the affected institutions.
The department also said that the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) will activate the Disaster Management Committee at the district, state or central level when the API reading exceeds 150 for more than 24 hours.
Additionally, all outdoor activities outside classrooms will be stopped when the API reading exceeds 100, and cloud seeding operations will be carried out when the API reading exceeds 150 for more than 24 hours.
The department said it activated the National Open Burning Action Plan and the National Haze Action Plan to coordinate government agencies’ measures to address open burning and the national haze situation.
This followed the worsening haze situation in the country, with five stations in Sarawak recording unhealthy API readings as of 11am today.
According to the API Management System (APIMS), Serian recorded the highest reading at 172, followed by Kuching (156), Samarahan (155), Bintulu (152), and Sri Aman (139). Other stations in the State recorded moderate readings between 98 and 63.
Nationwide, three areas recorded good air quality, 60 areas recorded moderate air quality, while five areas recorded unhealthy API readings today.
In addition, 25 hotspots were identified in Malaysia, with 22 in Sarawak, two in Selangor, and one in Terengganu, while 643 hotspots were detected in Kalimantan and 17 in Sumatra. — DayakDaily
