How accurate are our haze readings?

The API showed a reading of 92 in Petaling Jaya at 2pm but pictures taken and from observation the condition seems to be far from moderate.

PETALING JAYA: Although the Department of Environment’s (DOE) Air Pollutant Index (API) showed only Port Klang at an unhealthy level, observation shows other areas to be equally bad.

In Petaling Jaya, pictures taken by FMT showed buildings shrouded by haze although its API reading was only at 92.

The readings at 25 other areas were also recorded as moderate.

The API reading for Port Klang as of 2pm  today is at 117, the only area which is at an unhealthy level.

At 11am yesterday, Port Klang’s API reading was the highest at 124, followed by Seremban (111), Putrajaya (112) and Banting (108).

The API classifies readings from 0 to 50 as good, 51 to 100 as moderate, 101 to 200 as unhealthy, 201 to 300 as very unhealthy and readings of 301 and above as hazardous.

Centre for Environment, Technology and Development (Cetdem) executive director Anthony Tan questioned whether the DOE was taking readings from one particular place or several places in an area.

“Where exactly are the instruments placed and are they static or mobile?” asked Tan.

“Petaling Jaya is a huge area and the public should know that the readings are based on instruments placed at particular places.

“Places such as Bandar Utama and SS2 will have different readings as the conditions are different. The reading is only representative of what’s happening at a particular location,” he told FMT.

Tan said based on his own observation the amount of particles in the air was high.

“When I was driving from Subang Jaya to Petaling Jaya this morning, I could look straight at the sun. This shows the amount of particles in the air is high,” he said.

He also discouraged people from buying cheap masks because they were ineffective and would not prevent air particles from entering the lungs.

“Keep outdoor activities to a minimum and drink a lot of water,” he advised.

DOE could not be reached for comment.

The Riau province in Indonesia declared a state of emergency last week after being blanketed in thick haze from forest fires.

However, a Bernama report quoted Malaysian Meteorological Department (JMM) director-general Che Gayah Ismail as saying that the haze came from domestic sources such as forest burning, smoke from factories, vehicle emissions and open burning.

Haze from fires on Sumatra is an annual problem in South-East Asia. Last June, Port Klang and Seri Manjung recorded hazardous API readings.

In Penang, visibility was reduced to 4km and the API reading showed a moderate 80.

But a check showed that Penang Hill and both sea bridges were hardly visible even from a kilometre away.

A Meteorological Department forecaster said the API would improve tonight due to the north-easterly wind blowing out the haze.

He said there would be a rainy spell from mid-March due to the north-easterly and south-westerly winds.

The state government has already cautioned that Penangites would have to endure water rationing if the dry spell continued until the end of the month.