Saturday, June 16, 2012 - Haze caused by forest fires in neighbouring Indonesia blanketed parts of Malaysia including the capital, causing air pollution to hit unhealthy levels.
Haze is an annual problem during the monsoon season from May to September as winds blow the fumes from Sumatra across the Malacca Strait to Malaysia.
Skies over Kuala Lumpur Saturday were gloomy and visibility was described as poor by the Meteorological Department. With dry weather forecast for the next week, air quality is expected to deteriorate further.
The Air Pollutant Index reached 127 in the capital Kuala Lumpur, 144 in Port Klang, the Southeast Asian country's top port and 129 in the township of Shah Alam. Readings of 101-200 are considered unhealthy.
The Star newspaper Saturday said that the haze situation was expected to worsen with the "hot and dry spell in the Riau district of Sumatra set to peak over the next two weeks.
"As in previous years, several hotspots in central Sumatra in Indonesia are causing the haze," it said.
Haze builds up during the dry season, affecting tourism and contributing to health problems across the region.
Indonesia's government has outlawed land-clearing by fire but weak law enforcement means the ban is largely ignored.
[Source: Yahoo News]
A blanket ban on open burning in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya has been imposed by the Department of Environment (DOE). The Malaysian Medical Association is also advising the public on how to deal with the haze and outpatient departments at government hospitals have been directed to be on alert as respiratory and eye problems are expected to rise with the return of the haze.
The Education Ministry indicated that schools will be closed once the Air Pollutant Index (API) in their area reaches 400 while all sporting and outdoor activities will be cancelled once the API hits the “hazardous” level of 300.
The DOE classifies API readings of between 0 and 50 as Good, 51-100 as Moderate, 101-200 as Unhealthy, 201-300 as Very Unhealthy, and more than 301 as Hazardous.
Anyone convicted of open burning will be fined up to RM500,000 or jailed up to five years or both. A maximum compound of RM2,000 may also be meted out, according to the DOE.
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