Air quality alert
BY JANE RITIKOSKUALA LUMPUR: The Department of Environment (DOE) is on high alert as air quality in eight locations - mainly in the Klang Valley - plunged to unhealthy levels, worsened by the current drought.
DOE air division director Che Asmah Ibrahim said the air quality in Port Klang, Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam, Kuala Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Nilai and Bukit Rambai was at an unhealthy level yesterday.
On Thursday, only Port Klang and Malacca had an unhealthy air quality level, she said.
The DOE measures the air quality in five levels - good, moderate, unhealthy, very unhealthy, and hazardous. The DOE has been issuing only the qualitative readings for air quality.
Che Asmah also said satellite images showed 33 hotspots throughout the country yesterday.
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If you think these young Malaysians are happy with the haze, look again. These are actually cutouts from a huge billboard that advertises a telephone company's products. The hazy condition has blurred many of the city's famous landmarks, including the Kuala Lumpur Tower and the Maxis building. - STARpic by Kevin Tan |
“For example, there was no hotspot detected in Pahang but we know there are forest fires there,” she said.
The DOE, therefore, did not solely rely on satellite images but also on ground detection.
“The firefighters are struggling to douse forest fires and bushfires because of the drought.
“The deteriorating air quality is caused by the forest fires as well as other local pollutants including vehicle smoke emission.”
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The haze affecting visibility in Putrajaya at 3.30pm on Friday. - STARpic by Raja Faisal Hishan |
“But the current dry weather is expected to last till end of March when the inter-monsoon season sets in,” she said.
She added that the haze was mainly due to local sources and was not trans-boundary.
Although five hotspots were detected in Sumatra and two in Kalimantan yesterday, the wind direction was not blowing haze from Indonesia, she said.
“The forest fires could have been sparked off by cigarette butts and even when the branches brush against each other.
“Peat fires can occur when the water level at the peat area is too low. Unlike man-made fires, it is difficult for us to control bush and forest fires,” she added.
Che Asmah said the DOE detected 378 open burning cases last month. She said the present condition was not as bad as the 1997 haze (caused by forest fires in Indonesia) but was similar to the 2002 haze which was caused by local fires.
The Meteorological Services Department said visibility at the KL International Airport in Sepang was only at 2.5km but this did not affect any flights.
Elsewhere, such as Petaling Jaya and Subang, visibility was at about 6km and 4km respectively.
Visibility in Malacca was at 8km, Butterworth and Prai at 6km, Bayan Lepas at 8km and Ipoh at 9km.
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