KUALA LUMPUR: Although the haze that had hit Malaysia over the past week has cleared across much of the Peninsula, in Miri and Sarawak the government's environment agency told Bikyamasr.com on Friday they are concerned over the rising pollution in the areas. According to the air pollutant index (API), in only a few hours, the air in Miri and Sarawak went from moderate to unhealthy, sparking worries over people's safety. The Department of Environment (DOE) website showed the API readings for Klang Valley and other parts of the country were still within the moderate range of below 100. However, it said the API reading in Miri rose from 62 at 7am, to 164 at 11am, because of a fire which broke out at 10ha of peatland in Permai Jaya near the monitoring station. “The fire is under control at the moment and the Fire and Rescue Department is continuing to fight the fire in the area,” the department said. The department classifies API readings of between 0 and 50 as “good,” 51 to 100 as “moderate,” 101 to 200 as “unhealthy,” 201 to 300 as “very unhealthy” and more than 300 as “hazardous.” The haze has been a major problem facing Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries in recent years. The main culprit of this haze is the slash and burn practice by farmers and peat fires in Indonesia, experts say. But also in Malaysia, the government is not doing enough to reform farming practices, which Yussif Hassan, an environmental consultant in Selangor told Bikyamasr.com, “is a major issue that is seeing haze become more prominent in recent times." He argued that “the Malaysia government must work to end the practices that throw debris and dust into the air, because if we don't do this soon, it will debilitate the environment and people's health." The first major crisis to hit the country was in 2005 in Port Klang, where the Air Pollution Index rose to above 500, a devastating and extremely dangerous level. Both Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta are, however, working together on new policies to end the problem, but Hassan says movement is too slow. “They need to move faster if this is to be solved, because although the recent problem was not terribly dangerous, it has the potential if nothing is done," he added. Malaysia and Indonesia, together with other members of the ASEAN community, signed the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution in 2002 as a result of a 1997 haze. However, Indonesia is the only country that has not ratified the agreement. A repeat incident in 2005 and 2006 has forced Malaysia and Singapore to pressure Indonesia to ratify it According to the Department of Environment's Air Pollutant Index (API), the Selangor area has seen the worst of the haze leave the area, heading north to Perak, Penang, Kedah and Kelantan. The air quality index has dropped below the unhealthy level of 100 on the API and the government has said it is safe for residents to venture outside without a mask covering their face, although the northern areas face some risk. “We are watching the situation closely and will be issuing warnings and advice to citizens in affected areas," a department statement to Bikyamasr.com said. In the affected areas, the API is above 100, but still remains below 150. The government hopes the haze will leave the country in the near future, but experts and the department have no timetable expected for its departure. It was previously reported that the haze originated from peat and forest fires in Riau, the central Sumatran district of Indonesia, with the south-westerly wind blowing it across the Straits of Malacca. The Health Department issued an advisory late on Friday for affected members of the public to reduce their outdoor activities. “Be indoors all the time. If you have to be outside, do wear the right masks," the department said in a statement.
