KUCHING: The residents of Serian town, located approximately 60km away from Kuching, are currently experiencing the adverse effects of the hazy conditions. According to a local barber named Philip Luas, the haze has made it difficult for him to breathe and has caused his eyes to sting. He further explained that the absence of rainfall for the past week has aggravated the situation.
When interviewed on Tuesday (Sept 5), Philip emphasized the inconvenience and discomfort caused by the haze, stating, “The situation is really not conducive.” He advised the importance of staying hydrated and wearing masks when outdoors.
The haze has also affected Maxwell Jack, a food delivery rider. Due to the haziness, Jack’s eyes have become irritated and he is experiencing difficulty breathing. Jack is frequently outdoors delivering food from morning till night, therefore making him more susceptible to the negative impacts of the haze.
Since Monday (Sept 4), Serian has been recording unhealthy air quality, indicated by the air pollutant index (API) surpassing 100 at 1am. The API reached its peak at 152 at 9pm on Monday and remained at the same level at 1pm on Tuesday (Sept 5). According to the API classification, readings between 0-50 are good, 51-100 are moderate, and 101-200 are considered unhealthy.
In addition to Serian, Kuching also recorded an unhealthy API reading of 152 at 1pm on Tuesday. However, the API reading in Sri Aman dropped to 98 after continuously recording unhealthy levels in the past few days. Moderate API readings ranging from 58 in Limbang to 99 in Samarahan were observed in other parts of Sarawak.
The Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) reported the detection of moderate smoke haze from scattered hotspots in western and southern Kalimantan through overnight satellite imagery. The ASMC forecasted the persistence of escalated hotspot activity and hazy conditions in fire-prone areas of western and southern Kalimantan, as well as southern Sumatra. There is a slight risk of transboundary haze occurrence over the bordering areas of west Kalimantan and western Sarawak due to the prevailing winds blowing predominantly from the southeast or south, according to the ASMC’s weather and haze outlook on Tuesday.
ASMC further stated that the southern Asean region is expected to remain generally dry in the coming days, with some parts of Kalimantan experiencing brief showers.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
