Malaysia :Dreaded haze heading north with air quality dropping in Malacca, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Perak and Penang

Via The Star :

" The wind is blowing the haze up north towards Malacca, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Perak and Penang and causing worsening air quality.

The Department of Environment (DOE) said that this north-blowing wind was variable while a southwesterly wind, which was carrying thick haze from Riau, continued to blow towards the middle and south of the west and the east coasts of the peninsula.

The DOE said the haze, which initially blanketed the southern peninsula, had moved towards the north.

“At the same time, the haze has reached the east coast states of Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan,” it said in a statement yesterday.

The DOE said this was according to the map released by the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre on Sunday.

The DOE said that the centre also reported that the number of hotspots in Indonesia had increased from 118 on Saturday to 227 on Sunday.

It was reported that Muar and Ledang districts in Johor were under a “haze emergency” after the Air Pollutant Index readings surged over 700 in these areas on Sunday, but dropped to 125 yesterday.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced that the emergency declared for Muar and Ledang was over following an improvement in air quality."

Malaysia : Increase In Haze-related Illness Cases Building By Over 100 Per Cent For Asthma - Health DG

Via Bernama, excerpt :

" There has been a marked increase in the number of asthma and other haze-related respiratory cases seeking treatment at the hospitals and clinics in Johor and Melaka.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said with regard to asthma cases, the increase had been more than 100 per cent since haze enveloped the two southern states.

"In Johor, the number of asthma cases increased by 122 per cent and in Melaka by 127 per cent," he told a news conference after launching the National-Level Patients Safety Campaign and Seminar, here, Monday.

He said upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) cases increased by 38.5 per cent in Johor and by 20.7 per cent in Melaka.

As for conjunctivitis cases, Melaka sees an increase of 63.6 per cent while there is no increase in Johor.

Dr Noor Hisham advised the public to reduce outdoor activities or use a face mask when outside the house.

He said in order to provide the best possible treatment for haze-related symptoms in the two worst affected states, the hospitals and clinics were now focusing on emergency cases."

Malaysia : Two districts under ‘haze emergency’

Article via The Star, excerpt. Being a Malaysian and being in one of the areas affected by the haze, I would say that this is starting to pose serious health issues :

" The Muar and Ledang districts in Johor are now under a “haze emergency” after the Air Pollutant Index (API) readings surged over 700 in these areas.

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the emergency status would remain until further notice.

“However, it must be clarified that this does not involve a curfew and there will not be any change to the existing system of the ruling state and federal governments.

“All related ministries and agencies at the federal, state and district levels must plan and take action to ensure the safety and health of the public,” the Prime Minister said yesterday.

He urged the people to abide by the emergency guidelines issued by the National Security Council (NSC).

Under the guidelines, aimed at ensuring public safety and health, federal, state and district level natural disaster, management committees must advise the closure of schools and childcare centres, government and private sector offices and other work premises, including factories, plantations, construction sites, quarries and earthwork sites."

Malaysia : Haze - PM declares emergency status in Muar and Ledang

Via The Star :

" PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has agreed to declare emergency status on Sunday in Muar and Ledang with immediate effect after the API readings reached more than 750, said Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri G. Palanivel.

As of 7.00am Sunday, the air pollutant index (API) in Muar has spiked to 746, which is more than twice the standard hazardous levels according to the Department of Environment website.

Meanwhile, Bernama reported two cities in Malacca also were in hazardous API territory as at 7am Sunday namely Bandaraya Melaka and Bukit Rambai with readings of 357 and 334 respectively.

Palanivel said the highest API ever recorded in Malaysia was in Sarawak in 1997 with a reading of 860.

He also said that the National Security Council (NSC) would issue instructions for residents to stay indoors and direct schools in several states to remain closed.

"NSC should look at cloud seeding operations immediately," he said. -Bernama"

Malaysia : Health Clinics, Hospitals Ready For Rise In Haze-related Illnesses

Via Bernama, excerpt :

" All health clinics and hospitals in the country are on the alert and ready to handle haze-related illnesses following the worsening haze in the country, director-general of health Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said Friday.

He said the Health Ministry was monitoring the haze situation closely through its haze operations rooms throughout the country.

The number of respiratory infections, including upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) and asthma, were on the rise, especially in Johor, the state worst hit by the haze, he said, adding that the situation was under control.

"We have alerted our clinics and hospitals to be ready to cater for this and we are worried the URTI and asthmatic attacks will become more frequent."

Malaysia : Haze hits dangerous levels

Via The Star :

" THE haze in Malaysia has once again reached dangerous levels.

It has now left only 13% of the country with good air to breathe while many schools in Johor have closed as Malaysians there took in the worst of it, so far.

Yesterday, four areas in the state entered the “hazardous” and “very unhealthy” scales of the Air Pollutant Index (API).

Poor visibility at the Senai International Airport also forced two flights to be diverted.

In Kuala Lumpur, this Sunday's planned 2013 Olympic Day Run for 15,000 participants at Padang Merbok has been postponed, the co-organisers McDonald's Malaysia said.

The Department of Environment (DOE) said the country was on high alert due to the rapid deterioration in air quality over the past three days. It has alerted the National Security Council to activate the National Haze Action Plan nationwide, with a “3A Warning Level” (the highest level) issued for the worst-affected areas.

The DOE has also stepped up enforcement on the emission of smoke from vehicles and factories."

Malaysia : Air quality in Johor the worst in years, haze-related health complaints increase

Via The Star :

" Air quality deteriorated rapidly overnight with Muar in Johor hitting hazardous levels for the first time with an Air Pollutant Index (API) reading of above 380, according to the Department of Environment (DOE).

This is the first time in years that air quality has dipped to hazardous level with conditions worsening in as dry weather persists and fires rage in Sumatra.

At 7am, the API was at 337 but it deteriorated to 383 just several hours later at 11am Thursday. A good API reading is from 0-50, moderate (51-100), unhealthy (101-200), very unhealthy (201-299) and hazardous (300 and above).

The air quality also worsened in Kota Tinggi which now records very unhealthy levels with an API of 232 as of 11am while Pasir Gudang had an API reading of 199.

As of 5pm Wednesday, seven areas recorded unhealthy, 39 moderate and five good air quality readings, but there were no very unhealthy or hazardous readings.

Aqua satellite images show 376 hotspots over Sumatra while the NOAA satellite shows 173 hotspots, with cloud cover preventing precise readings.

According to the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre, scattered hotspots with localised smoke plumes were detected mainly in central Sumatra."

Malaysia : Haze situation expected to worsen

Article via The Star :

" The haze, which is affecting several parts of the country, is set to worsen with hotter and drier weather expected over the next few months.

The air quality in six towns in the peninsula dropped to unhealthy levels, based on the Air Pollutant Index (API), compared with just three on Saturday.

The Department of Environment (DOE) detected unhealthy API readings of 100 and above in Malacca (161), Bukit Rambai (135), Port Klang (104), Port Dickson (120), Muar (125) and Kemaman (108).

However, the quality of air at most other places in the country was between good and moderate.

Under the air quality index, readings of between 0 and 50 are classified as Good, 51 to 100 as Moderate, 101 to 200 as Unhealthy, 201 to 300 as Very Unhealthy and 300 and above as Hazardous.

In Malacca, the haze caused the API reading to increase from 68 to 161 over the past three days, the highest recorded in the country."