Schools In Sarawak To Close If API Breaches 300 Level

KUCHING, Oct 5 (Bernama) -- The state government will order the closure of all schools in haze-hit Sarawak if the air pollutant index (API) breaches the hazardous 300 level.
Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan said the decision was approved by the state cabinet at its weekly meeting Thursday morning.
"The cabinet has also decided that a state of emergency will be declared in Sarawak, which has experienced reduced visibility range in most areas over the last few days, if the API reading soars to 500 level and above," he told a news conference here.
He said the state government was preparing for the worst and had reactivated the operations room in all the Resident Offices throughout Sarawak.
So far 240,000 out of the one million face masks to be given free to the public by the Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) had been distributed to the NREB regional offices, State Education Department divisional offices and district offices, he said.
Priority would be given to younger children in kindergartens and schools, especially in badly affected areas in Kuching, Sarikei, Sibu, Samarahan and Sri Aman.
Small children were also advised to stay indoors, given the noticeable increase in the number of reported respiratory problems, particularly asthma cases in the state, he said.
He also reminded plantations to totally stop open burning although only two of the total 294 hotspots detected in Borneo today were in Sri Aman, with the rest detected by satellite in Kalimantan.
He said the cloud seeding by Royal Malaysian Air Force Hercules aircraft, which began Tuesday, had so far failed to induce rain due to the absence of moisture-laden clouds but the operation would continue until the situation improved.
As at 3pm Thursday, eight areas still recorded an unhealthy air quality. Kuching had an API reading of 160, Sibu (165), Bintulu (108), Sarikei (183), Samarahan (166), Sri Aman (176), Kapit (117) and Petra Jaya (169).
Only two areas recorded a moderate level -- Miri at 63 and Limbang (60) -- he said.
All major towns continued to record poor visibility with Kuching having a visibility range of only 800m, Sri Aman (1km), Sibu (500m), Bintulu (800m), Miri (1.8km) and Limbang (2km) as at 3pm Thursday.
Meanwhile a forecaster from the State Meteorological Services Department said the haze was expected to be cleared by mid-October when the climatic changes would be conducive to rain-producing clouds.
He said it was likely that the haze situation, which had disrupted air services due to reduced visibility, would improve with the onset of the inter-monsoon season.
"By then the force of the Typhoon Xansane, which is now blowing over Japan, will reduce the strength of the southwesterly bringing the haze from hotspots in Kalimantan into the state," he said.
However residents in Bintulu, Miri, Limbang and Kapit were expected to get a respite from the choking haze with anticipated rains in the afternoon in the next few days, he said.