Haze Worsens, API Above 500 In Two Areas

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 11 (Bernama) -- The Air Pollutant Index (API) in several areas in Klang Valley have worsened markedly Thursday with readings above 500, classified as "hazardous" to health.
However, Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said the decision on whether to declare an emergency, will be made by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak as Chairman of the National Disaster and Relief Management Committee.
As at 6 am today, Port Klang recorded an API reading of 534 while Kuala Selangor, the level had breached 510, he told reporters after attending a meet-the-people session with the Chinese community here today.
However, he said the API reading in Kuala Selangor at 11 am had risen to 531 while in Port Klang, the level had fallen to 529.
However, he said following this development, the ministry was waiting for further advice from the Deputy Prime Minister's Office on the next move.
The haze situation was at its worst on Sept 19, 1997 when Sarawak became the only state to have been declared a state of emergency after its API reading surpassed 650.
Statistics from the Department of Environment (DOE) at 11 am showed several areas also recorded high API readings, among them are Shah Alam 371, Putrajaya 364, Petaling Jaya 349, Kuala Lumpur 321, Gombak 234, Kajang 189, Nilai 170 and Seremban 131.
API readings are categorised thus: 0-50 classified as good; 51-100 moderate; 101-200 unhealthy; 201-300 very unhealthy and above 300 considered hazardous.
The department also said that due to the haze, the visibility in the affected areas would be limited to between 500 metres and 1.7 kilometres including the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
Dr Chua said the ministry had set up two committees at the federal and state levels respectively, to monitor the general public's health situation in the wake of the worsening haze.
He said the committee at the national level will be headed by the Director of Disease Control Datuk Dr Ramlee Rahmat while the state-level committees, will be chaired by their respective state directors.
"The committee is important as there has been a surge in the number of sick patients. Cases of flu, asthma, sore throat and sore eyes have also soared by nearly 150 percent within the past three days," he said.
Besides advising the public to be more conscious of their hygiene, he also encouraged them to wear facial masks when they are outside their home.
Chua also described the directive to schools in Kuala Lumpur and some parts of Selangor to close for two days from today as necessary as students were easily exposed to illnesses originating from dust.