Unhealthy Air Quality In Five Areas As At 3PM

KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 (Bernama) -- Five areas in Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, Putrajaya and Melaka recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings as at 3 pm today.

Department of Environment (DOE) director-general Datuk Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar said these areas were Nilai (with an API of 162), Banting and Johan Setia (both 154), Putrajaya (139), and Alor Gajah (110).

He said the deterioration in air quality was due to haze drifting into the region over the past 24 hours, with no large-scale fires detected in the country so far.

“According to the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC), satellite imagery from NOAA-20 on July 19 recorded 65 hotspots in Sumatra, 30 in Kalimantan, and four in Malaysia — two each in Pahang and Selangor,” he said in a statement.

Wan Abdul Latiff said the ASMC Regional Haze Situation dated July 20 showed no haze smoke plumes detected, but dry conditions were reported in the southern parts of Peninsular Malaysia and several regions in Indonesia, including Sumatra and Kalimantan.

To address the haze situation, he said the National Open Burning Action Plan and the National Haze Action Plan (PTJK) had been activated to coordinate responses among various government agencies.

“Among the measures outlined in the PTJK are the activation of the Disaster Management Committee by the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) if the API reading exceeds 150 for more than 24 hours.

“In addition, all outdoor activities at schools must be stopped when the API exceeds 100, while schools, kindergartens and childcare centres will be closed immediately if the reading exceeds 200. Cloud seeding operations will also be conducted subject to cloud presence and suitable weather conditions when the API exceeds 150 for more than 24 hours,” he added.

Wan Abdul Latiff also urged all landowners to monitor high-risk areas such as landfill sites, forests, peatlands and plantations to prevent encroachment or open burning.

The public is also reminded not to carry out open burning, which is an offence under Section 29(A) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974, carrying a fine of up to RM1 million, imprisonment for up to five years, or both.

Additionally, a compound of up to 50 per cent of the maximum fine may be imposed for each offence.

Any cases of open burning can be reported to the Fire and Rescue Department at 999 or to DOE via the toll-free line 1-800-88-2727. The latest API readings are available at the official DOE website at https://eqms.doe.gov.my/APIMS/main or through the MyJAS EQMS mobile application.

-- BERNAMA