Moderate haze in Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: The haze in several places in Sabah was reported to be at the moderate level today.

 

 The Air Pollutant Index (API) for major towns  are Kota Kinabalu  (74), Keningau (66) and Sandakan (42) as of 11am, according to the statistics at the website of the Department of Environment (DOE).

 

  The API reading is "good" when it is between 0 and 50, "moderate" (51 to 100), "unhealthy" (101 to 200), "very unhealthy" (201 to 300), and "hazardous" (above 300).

 

  Meanwhile, a state DOE spokesman said public could still engage in outdoor activities for now. 

 

 The condition of the haze is expected to continue for another two to three weeks.   

 

 "The major cause of the haze is from Indonesia open burning as their farmers get rid of their agriculture waste.

 

  "We cannot exclude that our own local farmers, especially those from interior areas are also doing the same thing in small scale as it is the dry season," he said.

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‘Don’t go out to Straits of Malacca at night’

A bleary sight: The haze covering all buildings along Sungai Muar in Bandar Maharani yesterday morning.

MUAR: Marine police here have warned all barter-trading vessels plying the Straits of Malacca to refrain from navigating the waterway at night due to the haze.

Its chief Asst Supt Nordin Osman said the stretch of the straits between Pontian and Malacca was covered in “very thick haze”.

He said the condition could worsen in the next few days due to the westerly monsoon season.

“This would push the haze from Sumatra to the peninsula,” he warned.

The sea and coastal areas here were covered in thick haze until about 11am yesterday.

“The visibility was very low this (yesterday) morning and motorists had to switch on their headlights when travelling along several roads here,” he said.

ASP Nordin, who joined a team in a patrol boat to check the haze at the Muar estuary, said the morning air was also filled with the smell of burning wood.

He said one barter-trading vessel from Rupat in Sumatra, which was headed for Batu Pahat yesterday, had to stop at the estuary here as the crew could not see their way.

He added that the bad weather was expected to continue if there was no heavy rain in the next few days.

“I urge all vessels to navigate the Straits of Malacca carefully.”

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