Still hazy about haze

PETALING JAYA: Despite Putrajaya's claim that air quality nationwide will improve beginning Oct 12, that has not been the case as two areas still recorded unhealthy readings on the Air Pollutant Index (API).
Both areas were in Malacca, with Malacca city recording the highest at 122 on the API scale, while Bukit Rambai recorded 106, as of 6pm today.
National Resources and Environment (NRE) deputy minister Datuk Hamim Samuri had, on Oct 7, said the public can expect a much improved air quality from Oct 12 onwards as wind direction will start blowing away from the country.
"This wind will carry away all the haze and smog we are experiencing towards Sumatra or into the Indian Ocean," he had said.
Although the two areas in the Peninsula were at the unhealthy level, other areas nationwide recorded moderate and healthy readings, with APIs between 16 and 92.
These include Port Klang, Selangor (92), Banting, Selangor (91), Pasir Gudang, Johor (91), Larkin Lama, Johor (88), and Port Dickson (88).
The healthiest readings in the country include Labuan (16), Limbang, Sarawak (18) and Kapit, Sawarak and Keningau, Sabah (24).
Most of the areas recording moderate API were in the Peninsula, with only three locations in the region showing healthy readings, while Sabah and Sarawak showed more healthy areas.
An API reading of 0 to 50 indicates good air quality; 51 to 100, moderate; 101 to 200, unhealthy; 201 to 300, very unhealthy; and 300 and above, hazardous.
According to a statement by NRE today, the country is also expected to experience good weather until Sunday with minimal rain in some areas.
Meanwhile, the Bombardier CL 415 aircraft owned by Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), which is involved in a mission to put out the forest fires in South Sumatra, Indonesia, carried out 13 water bombings on the second day of the operation on Monday.
MMEA deputy director-general (Operations), Rear Admiral (Maritime) Datuk Che Hassan Jusoh said the mission, which lasted four hours and 40 minutes, involved the use of 78,000 litres of water.
The operation was conducted over an area of 20 sq km about 80 nautical miles southeast of Palembang, he told Bernama.
"With the limited visibility of only one kilometre, it presented a challenge to the pilots and the crew," he said in a statement today.
On Friday, besides the bombardier aircraft, MMEA also sent an AS 365 N3 Douphin helicopter with 29 MMEA officers to help fight the fires which has been causing the prolonged haze that is sweeping across neighbouring countries over the past two months.
The bombardier aircraft had carried out water bombing 10 times within four hours of assignment on the first day of the operation on Sunday.