GEORGE TOWN, July 5 — Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) took the authorities to task for the haze enveloping Penang over the past two days.

Pointing to the deteriorating air quality which has also affected visibility, SAM president Meenakshi Raman called on both state and federal authorities to clear the air on the measures being taken.

She also urged the Department of Environment (DoE) to explain the state of the air quality in Penang.

“The public should be informed about the air quality levels so that necessary precautionary measures can be taken,” she said in a statement today.

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She said the DoE’s website merely reveal the Air Pollutant Index (API) readings without explaining what the readings meant and the source of the pollution.

She asked if there were forest fires again in Indonesia or fires in the northern region that had contributed to the haze.

“The lack of information regarding this is indeed worrying and troubling,” she said.

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A check on the DoE website showed that API readings for Penang as at 10am today were at moderate levels of between 73 and 81 that contained particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micron (PM2.5)/μg/m3.

Meenakshi said Penang has been getting hotter in the past few weeks, and together with the lack of rain, made the haze worse.

State Environment, Welfare and Caring Society Executive Councillor Phee Boon Poh said there was no hotspots detected in Penang or its nearby areas when contacted by Malay Mail.

He said the API readings in Penang were 76 in Seberang Jaya, 81 in Seberang Perai, 74 in Minden on the island and 82 in Balik Pulau on the island.