KUCHING: Air quality in Sri Aman worsens, followed by six areas across Sarawak, as dry weather conditions continue to persist across most parts of the southern ASEAN region.
Department of Environment’s (DOE) Deputy Director-General, Azuri Azizah Saedon, said, as of 2:00 pm today, 21 areas across the nation recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) levels.
Sri Aman recorded an API reading of 211, while Serian recorded a reading of 182.
Sarikei had an API reading of 159, followed by Kuching (157), Miri (116), Bintulu (120) and Sibu with 101.
“Air quality in the country deteriorated today (Aug. 28), with several areas along the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak recording unhealthy API levels due to the movement of transboundary haze from various directions.
“On Aug. 27, satellite imagery from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) detected 514 hotspots in Kalimantan, 176 hotspots in Sumatra, and three hotspots locally – one each in Johor, Sarawak, and Terengganu,” said Azuri.
Moreover, a map issued by ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) on August 28, shows persistent dry weather conditions across most parts of the southern ASEAN region, except for a few areas in Peninsular Malaysia, northeastern Borneo, and northern Sumatra which experienced rainfall.
Isolated to scattered hotspot clusters were detected in parts of Kalimantan, as well as the southern and central regions of Sumatra, with several other hotspots spotted elsewhere in the southern ASEAN region.
Azuri added that moderate to thick haze was observed over the western part of Borneo, while moderate to thick smoke plumes were also detected in several other areas across Kalimantan, as well as the central and southern parts of Sumatra.
