Haze Is Back In Malaysia Because Of Forest Fires In Indonesia
Prepare your masks!
By Tamara Jayne — 01 Aug 2019, 06:01 PM
Hello haze, our old friend. You're that clingy ex-boyfriend we thought we got rid of.
But you keep coming back and TBH, we're sick of it.
Indonesia is combating forest fires in several districts and Malaysia is facing the repercussions
After an emergency was declared, thousands of Indonesian military and police were deployed to douse forest fires in six areas on Sumatra island and on Kalimantan, an official revealed, according to Reuters.
Aside from cloud-seeding, authorities have turned to shooting salt flares into the clouds to trigger rains.
Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Putrajaya, and Penang are experiencing haze since yesterday, 31 July, that will likely last for seven days
Malaysian Meteorological Department (MET Malaysia) Deputy Director General (Operations) Muhammad Helmi Abdullah confirmed this in an interview with Astro Awani.
He added that the haze will be followed by Southwest Monsoon winds and stable, dry weather.
More than 135 forest and land fire hotspots were detected in Sumatra on 30 July.
"We encourage (schools) to reduce outdoor activities and (teachers and students) to wear masks," head of the Pekanbaru Education Office Abdul Jamal, was quoted as saying by Channel NewsAsia.
According to Department of Environment Malaysia (DOE), these are the precautions you can take:
- Those with illnesses and diseases should seek medical attention immediately if the condition worsens.
- Nose and mouth masks should be used by all motorcyclists, those working outdoors or in dusty areas, as well as those identified as high-risk groups.- Stay indoors as much as possible.
- Reduce outdoor activities such as sports.
- Wash the face and skin areas exposed to haze with clean water.
- Drink plenty of water, at least eight glasses a day.
- Do not practise open burning and report any fires to the Fire and Rescue Services Department at 999.
