The Haze Is Back In Cheras, Do Not Expect It To Leave Before October

Malaysia’s haze season has returned — Cheras and Johan Setia are already in the unhealthy range, Sarawak is worse, and the meteorological department says do not expect relief before late September.

APIMS/Malay Mail

In Brief

Cheras and Johan Setia recorded unhealthy API levels, but Sarawak is far worse, with eight of the ten most polluted areas located there.
Dry weather, El Niño, and transboundary smoke from West Kalimantan are hammering Sarawak, with no real improvement expected anytime soon.
Cloud seeding could help, but the atmosphere is too dry for it. Haze is likely to stick around until at least late September.

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Cheras recorded an Air Pollutant Index (API) reading of 153 as of 2.20 pm on Friday (14 August), according to data from the Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS).

Johan Setia in Klang came in at 135.

Both are in the unhealthy range and are in the Klang Valley.

The rest of the country is worse.

Serian, in Sarawak, recorded 182, the highest in the country.

Kuching followed at 170, Samarahan at 169, Sri Aman at 162, Sarikei and Bintulu at 158 and 151, respectively.

Of the 10 areas nationwide with unhealthy air quality, eight are in Sarawak.

Three Reasons Sarawak Cannot Catch A Break

Dry weather has persisted in Sarawak since late July.

Transboundary smoke from open burning in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, has compounded conditions in the state.

Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) director-general Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said the situation in Sarawak is expected to remain unchanged over the next few days.

The only path to improvement, he said, is a drastic reduction in hotspots across West Kalimantan.

Open burning remains the primary cause.

The Southwest Monsoon, which runs until late September, brings dry weather — and El Niño is making it drier than usual.

@theborneopost A forest fire has affected an estimated 80 hectares along Jalan Kejatau-Lingga, Sri Aman, with about 60 hectares still burning as a firefighting operation enters its third day today.#haze ♬ original sound – The Borneo Post

Not The Worst It Has Ever Been, Except In Sarawak

Hisham noted that rainfall in parts of Peninsular Malaysia has provided some relief, but said the likelihood of localised haze persisting through late September remains high.

Localised haze, he added, can also stem from vehicle and industrial emissions — particularly in the Klang Valley and Penang.

The situation nationwide remains, for now, under control.

Hisham said current haze levels have not reached the extremes seen in previous episodes — except in Sarawak.

MetMalaysia stands ready to conduct cloud seeding operations.

The process, however, requires a moist atmosphere with active convective clouds, conditions that are not currently present across affected areas.

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