KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 15 — A total of seven hotspots were detected in the country, with five in Sarawak and two in Sabah, as air quality deteriorates in several areas of Sarawak, which are currently recording Air Pollutant Index (API) readings at unhealthy levels.

Department of Environment (DOE) deputy director-general (Development) Azuri Azizah Saedon said that, based on the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) report dated August 14, a total of 226 hotspots were also detected in Kalimantan, while another five were recorded in Sumatra.

As of 11am today, nine areas in Sarawak recorded unhealthy API readings, with Kuching recording the highest at 164, followed by Samarahan (161), Serian IPD (160), Bintulu and Sarikei (157), Sri Aman (153), Sibu (152), Mukah (151) and Samalaju (118).

“The deterioration in air quality was caused by the movement of haze from various directions, including moderate to dense transboundary smoke plumes from clusters of hotspots in West Kalimantan moving northwards into the western part of the state.

“Moderate to dense localised smoke plumes were also observed, originating from hotspots in large parts of Kalimantan, central Sarawak and central Sumatra,” she said in a statement today.

She said several air quality monitoring stations in West Kalimantan as well as western and central Sarawak also recorded unhealthy readings.

However, ASMC said the full extent of the hotspot and haze situation in the region could not be determined due to cloud cover.

In view of the situation, Azuri Azizah said the DOE had stepped up enforcement action and daily patrols in areas prone to open burning, in addition to monitoring API readings from time to time.

“The National Open Burning Action Plan and National Haze Action Plan have also been activated to coordinate the actions of government agencies in addressing open burning and haze situations,” she said.

She advised landowners to monitor areas that are prone to and frequently affected by fires, including landfill sites, forests, peatlands, plantations, agricultural and industrial areas, and to take measures to prevent intrusion by irresponsible parties.

The public was also reminded not to carry out open burning and to report any cases of open burning or fires to the Fire and Rescue Department at 999 or the DOE’s toll-free line at 1-800-88-2727. — Bernama