MALAYSIA & INDONESIA – Poor air quality in Malaysia due to transboundary haze from Indonesia has eased slightly, affecting more than a dozen locations nationwide in parts of Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak on Borneo island.
As of Thursday noon, 17 locations in nine of Malaysia’s 13 states registered air pollutant index (API) readings of above 100, with readings between 101 to 200 deemed as “unhealthy”, according to the Air Pollution Index of Malaysia (APIMS). This was down from the previous 22 locations, as of Wednesday noon.
The worst hit was Selangor’s Johan Setia, which displayed a reading of 209. Readings of 201 to 300 are characterised as "very unhealthy".
The worst may be over for Sarawak for now, after API readings in the state improved from "very unhealthy" to "unhealthy" levels.
The dive in air quality has forced thousands of schools in Malaysia and Indonesia to close, The Straits Times reported.
Malaysian officials have issued a ban on open burning and offered to help Indonesia tackle forest fires as the haze continues to spread from Kalimantan and Sumatra in Indonesia.
The number of hot spots have continued to grow, worsening air quality in both countries.
Indonesia's disaster management agency said that more than 3,600 fires have been detected on Sumatra and Borneo islands, enveloping six provinces with a combined population of more than 23 million in haze and bad air, wire agencies reported.
Malaysia will continue to do cloud-seeding whenever the situation allows and send assistance to Indonesia if and when they accept the offer, said minister of energy, science, technology, environment and climate change, Yeo Bee Yin.
Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd said that it would only enforce low visibility procedures at airports when the horizontal visibility drops below 400 metres. As of 2pm on Wednesday, the visibility was recorded at 2,000 metres.