KUCHING: A total of 261 hotspots were detected in Kalimantan on Aug 31 as haze continued to affect Sarawak and other parts of the region.
The Department of Environment (DOE), citing the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC), said another 63 hotspots were detected in Sumatra.
In comparison, only two hotspots were detected in Malaysia — one each in Sarawak and Johor.
“ASMC’s regional haze map for Aug 31 showed dry conditions across much of the southern ASEAN region, except in central Peninsular Malaysia, northern and central Sumatra and northeastern Borneo, where rainfall was recorded.
“Scattered to widespread hotspots were detected across Kalimantan and Sumatra, while several were also detected elsewhere in the southern ASEAN region,” it said in a statement.
DOE added that moderate to dense smoke plumes were observed over West, Central and North Kalimantan, as well as Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and parts of Palawan in the Philippines.
Similar smoke plumes were also observed originating from hotspot clusters elsewhere in Kalimantan and southern Sumatra.
Several air quality monitoring stations in Sarawak, West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan recorded readings ranging from unhealthy to hazardous.
However, the overall hotspot and haze situation across the southern ASEAN region could not be fully determined due to cloud cover.
DOE said air quality in the country had deteriorated, particularly in Sarawak, Sabah and Labuan, influenced by smoke haze moving from various directions.
Meanwhile, DOE Sarawak continues to conduct patrols, open-burning prevention operations, monitoring and enforcement in areas identified as being at risk of open burning.
