As KLites continue to struggle with a nationwide dengue outbreak and increasingly prevalent water rationing, the haze that has plagued the city every so often has returned, completing a trifecta of issues affecting the city’s populace.
Yesterday the air pollutant index (API) in Port Klang reached an unhealthy level of 121, with other areas of Selangor displaying moderate air pollution readings, according to the Department of Environment’s website.
Readings taken in Batu Muda and Cheras showed API levels of 75 and 67 respectively; a reading Petaling Jaya produced an API score of 78.
An API reading between 0-50 is considered good; 51-100 is moderate; 101-200, unhealthy; 201-300 is very unhealthy; and 301 and above, hazardous.
Last week, open burning in Riau, Indonesia forced local authorities there to close schools and urge residents to stay indoors, while port authorities issued warnings to ships traversing the Straits of Malacca as visbility dropped to 50m. The API in the area shot up to a hazardous 776.
Dry weather and open burning in Sumatra also caused flights to and from Pekanbaru to be delayed for several hours.
Last year, Putrajaya declared a state of emergency in Muar and Ledang in Johor after being choked by smoke from forest fires in Indonesia as the API air pollution levels crossed 300. The Muar pollution reading was Malaysia’s highest since the API hit 860 during a severe 1997-1998 haze crisis that gripped the region and thrust the issue onto the South-east Asia agenda.
Related: Syabas, Syabas! Now 2.2 million people are going to get water cuts; Dengue watch: 12,000 infected, 25 dead so far this year
Photo: Storm Crypt / Flickr
Source: Today Online
