Monday June 18, 2012

No haze now but dry weather will continue for a few more days

KUCHING: A check with the Department of Environment’s (DOE) official website reveals that the state is still clear from the haze.

As at 5pm yesterday, most of the areas recorded a good rating for the Air Pollutant Index (API), with the exception of Bintulu and Industrial Training Institute (ILP) Miri which recorded a moderate API of 59 and 67 respectively.

An API rating of 0 to 50 is considered good, 51 to 100 (moderate), 101 to 200 (unhealthy), 201 to 300 (very unhealthy) and more than 301 as hazardous.

Meanwhile, a forecaster with the State Meteorological Department said the haze would not occur in the state in the meantime.

He said the current dry season, which was expected to continue for another three to four days, was due to the South West monsoon.

“The dry weather is also because of the typhoon in the western Pacific region in eastern Philippines.

“Once the typhoon is over, we can expect wet weather,” he said when con-tacted.

Several areas in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur have recorded an unhealthy API level in the past two days, causing the DOE to impose a blanket ban on open burning.

The Education Ministry is also monitoring the situation to determine if and when schools in the affected areas should be closed.

News

Monday June 18, 2012

No haze now but dry weather will continue for a few more days