PUTRAJAYA: The transboundary haze from Sumatra and Kalimantan, Indonesia is still affecting Malaysia’s air quality, said the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry.
It said in a statement yesterday that the overall air quality this evening was still deteriorating with the number of areas that recorded unhealthy air pollutants index (API) reading increasing compared to yesterday.
On Wednesday, the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) based in Singapore detected 92 hotspots in Kalimantan and 11 in Sumatra.
“The Regional Haze Map shows the movement of thick and moderate haze from Kalimantan heading towards Sumatra while from Sumatra to the south and west of Peninsular Malaysia,” it said.
The ministry said the Meteorological Department had informed that a medium to thick haze from Kalimantan was expected to move across the South China Sea before heading towards Peninsular Malaysia in three days.
Based on the current wind patterns, smoke from Bangka-Belitung is expected to move toward north Sumatra and Aceh through the Straits of Melaka in one to two days.
As at 4pm, the website of the Department of Environment reported unhealthy API for 16 pl
A general view from KL Tower shows haze over commercial buildings in the capital. — Bernama photo
aces, with the highest reading recorded in Port Klang (138), followed by Port Dickson (129), Pasir Gudang (125) and Kota Tinggi (123).
Bukit Rambai, Nilai, Banting and Shah Alam each registered 121, Bandaraya Melaka (119), Putrajaya (112), Seremban (111), Kuala Lumpur (109), Kuala Selangor (108), Petaling Jaya (106), Samarahan (105) and Larkin Lama (104). — Bernama