Hotspots, smoke haze spotted near Sarawak border

Several hotspots have been detected in West and Central Kalimantan close to the border of Sarawak, according to the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre.

The hotspots – indicated by red dots – were located on Wednesday.

“Isolated hotspots were detected in West and Central Kalimantan, while a few hotspots were detected mainly in parts of Malaysia and Sumatra, as well as in Thailand and Vietnam.

“A localised smoke plume was observed to emit from a hotspot in West Kalimantan,” it said in a statement on its website.

It said that continued wet weather conditions were likely across the Asean region, except for Java and West Kalimantan where drier conditions were forecast.

“The overall hotspot and smoke haze situation is expected to stay subdued, although there remains a risk of isolated hotspots and localised smoke plumes over areas experiencing brief periods of dry weather,” it added.

Currently, no places in Sarawak have yet to record unhealthy air levels, with most stations such as Sri Aman and IPD Serian showing a moderate reading of between 50 and 100.

The country is currently in the southwest monsoon phase.

In a statement on its website, the Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) warned that El Nino conditions had been present since June 12.

“El Nino conditions are present and expected to gradually strengthen until the end of the year with a probability of over 90%,” it said, and it advised people to stay up-to-date with the latest weather updates via its myCuaca app and social media channels.

MetMalaysia said several areas, including south of Perak, Pahang, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Negri Sembilan, Melaka and Johor, were expected to receive less than the average rainfall, which was between 50mm and 150mm in July.

In Sarawak, most areas are expected to receive less than average rainfall, which was between 100mm and 250mm, except in Miri and Limbang.

Sabah and Labuan are expected to receive rainfall of between 100mm and 350mm.

On June 10, Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad was quoted as saying in Singapore that an early-warning monitoring and fire prevention system had been set up by Malaysia for its Asean neighbours.

He also said a new road map for Asean cooperation in Transboundary Haze Pollution Control had been drafted. - Star