KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 — The Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) detected 150 hot spots in Kalimantan and another 15 in Sumatra yesterday when Malaysia was hit by haze.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri G. Palanivel said the\centre detected 18 hot spots in the country, including 11 in Sarawak and seven in Sabah.

“All these hot spots (in the country) will be investigated and appropriate enforcement action will be taken,” he said in a statement.

Palanivel also sought public cooperation in putting out small fires and report any cases of open burning to the Fire and Rescue Department and Department of Environment (DOE).

Meanwhile two areas recorded an unhealthy air pollutant index (API) as of 4pm today.

According to DOE portal, Bakar Arang in Sungai Petani recorded an unhealthy API reading of 106 and Sri Aman (117).

Visibility was down to 1-2km on roads at Bandar Saujana Putra in Selangor as fires ravage a nearby forest reserve on August 4, 2014. — Picture by Irwan Ismail
Visibility was down to 1-2km on roads at Bandar Saujana Putra in Selangor as fires ravage a nearby forest reserve on August 4, 2014. — Picture by Irwan Ismail

The portal also reported that 23 other areas recorded a moderate API reading, including Batu Muda, Kuala Lumpur (100), Tanjung Malim (80) and Alor Star (78).

An API reading of between zero and 50 indicates good air quality, between 51 and 100 (moderate), between 101 and 200 (unhealthy), between 201 and 300 (verynunhealthy) and over 301 (hazardous).   

Members of the public can refer to the DOE portal at http://www.doe.gov.my to find out the API reading for their areas. — Bernama