Monday, August 22, 2005

Haze Watch: Malaysia breathe easy for now


Malaysians breathed easy today as the Air Pollutant Index (API) showed readings between "good" and "moderate".

The Department of Environment (DOE) recorded 13 areas with API of between 51 to 100, which is a "moderate" level, while the rest of the country recorded "good" API readings of below 50.

At 11am, Johor Baru recorded the highest reading at 57 while Limbang, Sarawak, recorded the lowest reading at 16.

Visibility in most areas was between 8km and 10km with the exception of Muadzam Shah, Pahang, where visibility was down to 2.8km.

The Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre reported that up to yesterday, there were still 23 hotspots in Sumatra and 39 hotspots in Kalimantan. Locally, there were five hotspots in Pahang and seven in Sarawak.

At 5pm, only four areas recorded API readings of 60 and above. They were Bakar Arang in Kedah, Gombak in Selangor, Country Heights in Kajang and Bukit Rambai in Malacca.

The API for the whole country at 5pm was between 17 and 66 with the lowest reading in Limbang, Sarawak, and the highest in Bakar Arang, Kedah.

All areas except one in Sabah and Sarawak showed readings of "good". The only area to record a "moderate" reading was Tawau, Sabah.

The Klang Valley recorded readings of "moderate" in all areas, except in Kuala Selangor which recorded a "good" API reading of 28. The highest reading was at Kajang and Gombak at 60.

Courtesy of New Straits Times

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