KUALA LUMPUR – Several areas in the country are experiencing “local haze” which, among others, results from opening burning, especially during the current hot weather, said Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) deputy director-general (strategic & technical) Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip.
He said the lack of rainfall and open-burning activities are contributing to the unhealthy air pollution index (API), thus causing the haze.
“It definitely has a connection (with the hot weather); we do not plant enough (trees), and there are too many cases of open burning to clear farms and so on, so these are causing the local haze,” he said today, while denying that the cause of the pollution is from a neighbouring country.
He said that the Department of Environment (DoE) has also reported fires in forest reserves.
He said advised the public not to carry out open burning, cut down on outdoor activities and to drink sufficient amounts of water.
Previously, MetMalaysia announced that the country was in the final phase of the North-East Monsoon, which is expected to last until the middle of this month, with low rainfall distribution in Peninsular Malaysia, particularly in the northern states.
However, MetMalaysia does not foresee any extraordinary hot weather in the country this year.
Based on the API this morning, three areas in Selangor recorded unhealthy readings, with the API for Johan Setia, Klang at 183, followed by Banting (165) and Petaling Jaya (141). – Bernama, March 2, 2021
