Haze ‘Unchanged’ in Brunei

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Hazy afternoon in Bandar Seri Begawan. This photo by Dean Kassim was taken at 3.50pm last Friday. –Credit Photo by Borneo Bulletin News

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: The haze situation in Brunei Darussalam remained unchanged yesterday, the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation (JASTRe) under the Ministry of Development said in a statement, Borneo Bulletin reported.

The satellite imagery from the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) in Singapore detected 642 hotspots on June 23, scattered mostly in parts of central and west Borneo.

The Pollutant Standard Index (PSI) readings recorded from all the air quality monitoring stations (Particulate Matter 10) in the four districts remained higher than normal.

The PSI readings recorded yesterday as of 5pm are Brunei-Muara District 43 (good), Belait District 75 (moderate), Temburong 72 (moderate) and Tutong 73 (moderate).

JASTRe said it is closely monitoring the situation. “The public will be kept informed of the air quality situation through RTB radio stations and the department’s website.”

The ground surveillance carried out by JASTRe over the past days has shown that open burning activities were still rampant and carried out in many locations in the country, especially during the evening.

The public is urged to refrain from conducting any open burning activities that will worsen the hazy condition, JASTRe said.

The public can contact JASTRe for any complaints on open burning and queries on the air quality via the Hotline 140 or 224 1262 extension 405 during office hours.

The public can also access and obtain the PSI readings online at www.env.gov.bn.

The public can obtain weather information and forecasts by visiting the Meteorological Department’s website www.met.gov.bn.