Haze expected to let up end of September, says minister

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KUCHING: Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin has offered Sarawakians little comfort from the haze today with her update on the government’s efforts to tackle the worsening air quality.

“The haze situation is estimated to improve once the monsoon wind direction changes at the end of September,” she said on her Facebook page this afternoon.

Yeo, however, recognised that the root of the haze problem was the fires in Indonesia which could make a return after the rain.

“Hence the URGENCY now is for Indonesia to extinguish the fire. The government is ready to offer any kind of assistance to help Indonesia to put out fire in both Kalimantan and Sumatera,” she said.

She added that her ministry was working the Foreign Affairs Ministry to send diplomatic notes to the Indonesian government on the urgency to put out the fires.

Yeo also said the government would exhaust all diplomatic channels to urge the Indonesian government to act on the haze.

She pointed out that the government had earlier last month raised the issue during the 21st Technical Working Group (TWG) and Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee (MSC) on Trans-boundary Haze Pollution.

The minister advised the public to go to apims.doe.gov.my for real time air quality monitoring and asmc.asean.org for regional haze situation, including hotspots, wind direction, rain forecast.

As of 3pm today, Kuching and Sri Aman recorded very unhealthy air pollutant index (API) readings of 249 and 247 respectively.

Unhealthy API readings were recorded by the Department of Environment’s air monitoring stations in Samarahan (199), Sarikei (160), Sibu (132) and Miri Industrial Training Institute (114).

A reading of zero to 50 is good, 51 to 100 is moderate, 101 to 200 is unhealthy, 201 to 300 is very unhealthy and 301 and above is hazardous