THE forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan, Indonesia, are still contributing to the transboundary smoke and hike in air pollutant index (API) readings in all areas of the Peninsula, Sarawak and western Sabah, according to the Department of Environment (DOE) today.

Yesterday, the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) reported the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 20 image satellite detected an increase in hotspots, with 777 now in Sumatra and 363 in Kalimantan, the DOE said in its air quality and smoke status report.

“The smoke from Sumatra has affected almost the entire Peninsular Malaysia. Clusters of hotspots in western, central and southern Kalimantan have continued to contribute to the smoke impacting Sarawak.”

Nine hotspots were detected in the country, with three in Selangor and two each in Johor, Terengganu and two Sarawak.

Some hot spots could not be captured in the satellite image due to thick clouds and not everything could be tracked.

“The DOE has increased enforcement actions and daily patrols in areas where open burning is rampant, while constantly monitoring the API readings,” it added.

Overall air quality in Malaysia was still poor, unhealthy API readings were recorded at 39 stations at 11am today, while 28 stations recorded moderate air quality, the statement added.

The 39 stations recording unhealthy air quality included: Sungai Petani, Kedah (110); Balik Pulau, Penang (160); Tasek Ipoh, Perak (178); Batu Muda, Kuala Lumpur (169); Putrajaya (134); and Kuala Selangor (152).

Meanwhile, Sri Aman’s API reading dropped to 195 this morning.

“Firefighters are still fighting the blaze at Kampung STC, Jalan Tisak Betong and Jalan Ketajau in Sri Aman, while cloud seeding operations continue to reduce smoke and API in these areas,” said the statement.

The DOE also called on members of the public to stay indoors, especially when the API reading exceeds 150.

An API between zero and 50 indicates good air quality; 51 and 100, moderate; 101 and 200, unhealthy; 201 and 300, very unhealthy and 300 and above, hazardous. – Bernama, September 22, 2019.