Southern ASEAN Haze May Worsen As Dry Conditions Persist – ASMC
By Anas Abu Hassan
SINGAPORE, Aug 26 (Bernama) -- Prolonged dry conditions could worsen the hotspot and smoke haze situation in parts of southern ASEAN in the coming days, with unhealthy to very unhealthy air quality already recorded in several areas, including western Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak.
The ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) said moderate to dense smoke plumes were observed over West, Central and South Kalimantan, as well as in the central and southern parts of Sumatra, while isolated to scattered hotspot clusters were detected in parts of Indonesia.
“Several air quality stations in West and South Kalimantan, western Sarawak, western Peninsular Malaysia, and central and southern Sumatra recorded unhealthy to very unhealthy levels,” it said in its latest report on Wednesday.
The ASMC said the hotspot and smoke haze situation could deteriorate over the next few days if prolonged dry conditions persisted, raising the risk of transboundary haze.
“Prevailing winds over southern ASEAN are expected to blow from the southeast to southwest,” it said.
In Malaysia, 17 areas across six states and two Federal Territories recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings as of 8 am on Wednesday, according to the Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS).
Three areas in Sarawak recorded unhealthy air quality, with Sri Aman registering the highest API reading at 167, followed by the Serian district police headquarters (IPD) at 166 and Samarahan at 162. Several areas in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, Johor, Melaka, Perak and Putrajaya also registered unhealthy levels.
Meanwhile, Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) said the republic’s air quality remained at a moderate level, with the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) ranging from 59 to 78 as at 2 pm on Wednesday. The central region recorded the highest reading.
-- BERNAMA
