Haze ‘to improve next week’

Monsoon transition, storms expected on Tuesday, says Met

PETALING JAYA: Malaysians can expect a respite from the haze as the inter-monsoon wind kicks in from next week.

The monsoon transition phase is expected to begin next Tuesday and it will last until the beginning of November, said a statement by the Malaysian Meteorological Department.

This marks the end of the southwest monsoon period, which began on May 6, the department said yesterday.

“During this phase, regional areas will receive wind from various directions with low speeds, which poses a potential for the formation of a thunderstorm.”

Thunderstorms along with heavy downpours and strong winds are expected during the evening and night at the west coast and interior areas of Peninsular Malaysia,the west coast of Sabah, and central Sarawak as well as its west coast.

While the rainy weather could cause flash floods and damage to weak infrastructures, the department said the haze situation is expected to improve.

Bernama quoted Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as saying that about 60% of the fire in 81ha of plantation land and forest area in Sri Aman, Sarawak, had been put out as of Friday.

She said the Fire and Rescue Department, the Civil Defence Force, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, with the cooperation of various agencies, were working hard to put out the fire in the remaining 32ha of land.

The operations was in its sixth 24-hour day yesterday since Sept 19.

Dr Wan Azizah, who handed out face masks yesterday, said the Malaysian Meteorological Department and the air force carried out cloud-seeding operations in west Sarawak on Friday.

This has generated some rain in Kuching, Samarahan, Sri Aman, Betong, Saratok and Sarikei, she said.

She said two other cloud seeding operations were conducted on Sept 12 and 19 in Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak.

In Smarang (Central Java), Bernama quoted Malaysian ambassador to Indonesia, Zainal Abidin Bakar, as saying that Malaysia was always ready to assist Indonesia to put out the forest fires if it was needed.

Since January, over 300,000 hectares of forest and plantations were on fire in several provinces in Indonesia. — Bernama

During this phase, regional areas will receive wind from various directions with low speeds, which poses a potential for the formation of a thunderstorm.

Meteorological Department