Selangor hit by poor air quality

 

Blurry vision: Kuala Lumpur’s iconic buildings can hardly be seen through the haze. — LOW LAY PHON/ The Star

PETALING JAYA: Despite the poor air quality that has affected parts of Selangor, experts say there is a likelihood of clearer skies this Hari Raya season as rainy weather is expected in the coming days.

Data from the Environment Department showed both Klang and Banting in Selangor were plagued with unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings since the wee hours of yesterday.

Klang’s API reading was at 153 while Banting recorded 163 as of 5pm yesterday.

Areas in Cheras (97), Putrajaya (92), Petaling Jaya (84) and Shah Alam (88) recorded API readings that were close to unhealthy levels.

Several areas in other states also recorded air quality of almost unhealthy levels, which included Balok Baru in Kuantan, Pahang (96) and Nilai (90) in Negri Sembilan.

API readings between 0 and 50 are categorised as good, 51 to 100 (moderate), 101 to 200 (unhealthy), 201 to 300 (very unhealthy), while 300 and above are hazardous.

When contacted yesterday, an Environment Department spokesperson said the haze was caused by forest fires and burning peatlands in Pahang.

“The unhealthy API levels in both Klang and Banting were due to particulates from fires at forests and peatlands in Pahang that have affected air quality in Pahang, Selangor and Negri Sembilan,” she said.

The department said their investigation also found no open burnings in Klang and Banting that could have caused the haze.

Universiti Malaya’s Department of Geography senior lecturer Dr Sheeba Chenoli said that the fires could be a result of the ongoing El Nino that caused increased temperatures in the region.

“This creates favourable conditions for forest fires as localised moderate smoke plumes have been emanating from hotspots in eastern Peninsular Malaysia during this period,” she said.

National Antarctica Research Centre climatologist Prof Datuk Dr Azizan Abu Samah said the haze was also caused by increased traffic and industry in the few days before Hari Raya.

He said with the Hari Raya (balik kampung) exodus, the air quality should improve but more should be done to address the long-term worsening air quality in Selangor.

“The worsening air quality can be mainly attributed to the widespread use of two-stroke internal combustion engines, which produce a lot of particulates.

“As banning such engines is not feasible as B40 groups cannot afford more environmentally-friendly alternatives, the only alternative is to improve public transportation,” he said.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) deputy director-general (Strategic and Technical) Ambun Dindang said rain and thunderstorms are expected over many parts of the country during the first two days of Hari Raya.

Rain is expected over Perak, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Kedah, Penang, Negri Sembilan, Melaka, Pahang, Johor, Sabah and parts of Sarawak today.

Widespread rain and thunderstorms are also expected over Perak, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Pahang, Johor and parts of Sarawak tomorrow.

He said this was due to the beginning of the inter-monsoon season, which began from March 29 and is expected to persist until May.

Academy of Sciences Malaysia Fellow Prof Dr Fredolin Tangang said afternoon thunderstorms could become frequent due to the Madden-Julian Oscillation phenomenon.

“Our region is forecast to be influenced by the large-scale enhanced convection centre; this will likely create cloudy conditions and reduce incoming solar radiation and temperatures,” he said. - Star