HAZE EASES THANKS TO MONSOON WINDS

Start of southwest monsoon transition brings clearer skies to most parts of the country

MOST Malaysians were breathing easier yesterday as the haze, which smothered much of the country over the past few weeks, eased its grip.

Yesterday marked the start of the southwest monsoon transition, which means that winds that were blowing smoke from massive forest fires in Sumatera towards western Peninsular Malaysia, and from Kalimantan to western Sarawak, are changing direction.

Air quality began improving and Air Pollutant Index (API) readings fell on Monday evening, which gave the authorities the all-clear to reopen schools nationwide yesterday.

Nevertheless, most API readings are still in the higher range of the “moderate” scale.

Malaysia’s most densely populated area, the Klang Valley, continues to experience “unhealthy” air quality despite a general drop in API readings.

Klang experienced the most polluted air nationwide, with an API reading of 173 at 11am yesterday.

Major areas in Negri Sembilan and Perak also saw poor air quality.

The National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) in a statement said the southwest wind, which had blown from the neighbouring country, was gradually shifting direction and this would improve the haze situation.

“The transition phase started yesterday and will continue until early November,” said Nadma.

As at 5pm yesterday, 59 stations recorded “moderate” (51 to 100) API, while eight stations registered “unhealthy” (between 101 and 200) readings, namely Klang (161), Lumut (128), Bandar Baru Nilai (114), Mentakab (109), Ipoh (114), Putrajaya (110), Klang North Port (110) and Kuala Langat (103).

A total of 19 hotspots were identified across Malaysia, compared with nine on Sunday, despite the easing of haze due to the southwest monsoon shift.

Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre, through its website, identified the hotspots, which were depicted on its map based on images derived from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 20 satellite.

However, some hotspots, it said, might go undetected due to cloudy conditions or incomplete satellite pass.