Air quality at moderate level
by Raymond Tan, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on June 20, 2012, Wednesday
WORST-HIT TOWN: The haze in Sibu when readings reach over 70.
SIBU: Haze in Sarawak worsened yesterday as the Air Pollutant Index (API) readings continued to rise, plunging the air quality of the whole state into moderate level.
Even the situation in Sri Aman, the only town with good air quality on Monday, plunged with the rest to reach the moderate level.
Sibu again remained the worst-hit, with API readings climbing from 60 on Monday to 71 yesterday at 11am. Its reading at 7am yesterday was 67.
Top next was Miri with readings of 58 at 7am before climbing to 63 at 11am.
Doing equally bad was Samarahan, with readings of 61 at 7am and 62 at 11am.
Almost the whole nation was blanketed in haze yesterday as the Department of Environment confirmed 92 per cent of the land was in a hazy state, all at moderate level.
Air quality is considered good when the API readings are between 0 and 50. It is at moderate level when readings are between 51 and 100.
For the rest of the major towns in Sarawak, situation was as bad yesterday, with Kapit at 57 and 58 at 7am and 11am respectively, Limbang at 54 and 55, Kuching at 69 and 62, Sarikei at 50 and 50 and Sri Aman at 53 and 54.
Meanwhile, air quality in a few towns in Peninsular Malaysia nearly hit the unhealthy level when API readings almost topped 100.
These towns were Seri Manjung and Tanjung Malim in Perak, Prai in Penang and Alor Setar and Sungei Petani in Kedah.
There were eight hot spots in Peninsular Malaysia while for the whole of Borneo island, there were about 115, prompting islanders to say “the island is on fire”.
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