SARAWAK has ordered the distribution of face masks to school children as the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) today warned that the state’s air pollution would get worse.

Priority would be given to pupils sitting for UPSR (primary school achievement test).

The masks, from Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) stocks, were handed to the state Education Department this morning.

The Education Department will assist in the distribution to schools that are hard hit by the smog in Kuching, Samarahan, Serian and Sri Aman.

At 2pm, the air pollutant index (API) reading for the Kuching division was 216 – and rising.

It is the only area in the country where the air quality is now in the “very unhealthy” category.

There were six areas in the “unhealthy” category – five in Sarawak and one in the peninsula.

Permyjaya in Miri at 2pm today had an API reading of 115, Miri 150, Sarikei 134, Sri Aman 178, Samarahan 199 and Kuala Baram 114.

Johan Setia in Selangor, with an API reading of 114, is the only place in the peninsula that has an “unhealthy” air quality. 

Sarawak Disaster Management Committee chairman Douglas Uggah Embas said district level committees have been activated as advised by Nadma and all preparations were taken in accordance with the National Haze Action Plan.

Uggah, who is also Sarawak deputy chief minister, told reporters that he had called for a meeting of the committee yesterday to pass the preparation order.

He said this after attending the thank-you lunch thrown by recipients of financial assistance from the Unit For Other Religions (Unifor) for Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg in Kuching.

On the closing of schools, Uggah said the standard operating procedure gave the state education director, headmasters or principals to make the call when the API reading was over 200 for more than 24 hours.

“If the API reading is above 200, then the state education director, school headmasters and principals can make the decision whether to close their school of not.

“The decision (to close) is not up to me.”

Major Ismail Mahedin, the officer in charge of the state disaster committee’s operation room, said even if a school is ordered shut, there is no respite for pupils sitting for the UPSR tests as they will have to sit for their exam.

However, he added that the students will be closely monitored by the school and invigilators for health issues.

On the possibility of cloud seeding, Uggah said there are no clouds to seed at the moment and a seeding operation could prove futile as long as the haze cloud are being blown over.

The Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) has similarly warned that in view that the current dry weather is expected to persist over the southern Asean region in the coming weeks, a further escalation of hot spot activities in Kalimantan is possible.

The deterioration in the air quality situation in Kalimantan had forced authorities yesterday to activate “Alert Level 3” for the region.

Alert Level 3 is activated when the hot spots exceeded the reading of 250 in two consecutive days.

ASMC said there has been a “further deterioration” in air quality in Kalimantan over the past few days with persistent hot spot clusters detected in the provinces of South, West and Central Kalimantan.

It said the hot spots have contributed to a significant build-up of smoke haze over many areas in Kalimantan.

“Smoke from hot spots in West Kalimantan has been observed to be blown by the prevailing winds to western Sarawak.

“With the prevailing winds forecast to continue blowing from the southeast or southwest, ASMC assessed that the risk of transboundary haze occurrence is high,” it added. – September 7, 2019.