Better air quality in Klang Valley
Better air quality in Klang Valley
17 June 2009
published by thestar.com.my
Malaysia —
The air quality in the country has improved with 31 areas having recorded good API index (between zero and 50) while 20 areas had moderate air quality of between 51 and 100.
The strict enforcement on open burning and intermittent rainfall brought about some impact in the air quality.
Meanwhile, Prof Eric Goh of Universiti Sains Malaysia said the air quality in the Klang Valley was not as bad as the haze, caused by open burnings from Indonesia in 2005. He said the API index in the Klang Valley of was between 50 and 100 compared with between 200 and 400 in 2005.
The number of hotspots in Sumatera now has dropped significantly compared with 2005 following measures taken by the Indonesian government to curb open burnings, he said after delivering a public lecture on his appointment as a full professor at the varsitys engineering campus in Transkrian, Penang.
In Klang, fire engines are being dispatched to the Johan Setia and Jalan Kebun area where peat fires have been burning.
Klang South Fire and Rescue Department operations officer Abdullah Mohd Salleh said it was crucial to douse the fires daily because they were usually difficult to put out.
