PETALING JAYA: The haze continues to shroud major parts of the country but the condition improved slightly thanks to stronger winds throughout the day.
Nine areas recorded moderate air quality readings of over 80 on the Air Pollutant Index (API) at 11am yesterday.
This, however, dropped to six areas at 5pm compared with only two areas 24 hours earlier.
The overall moderate API readings at 5pm yesterday dropped to 38 areas compared with 42 areas at 11am (A good reading is from 0-50, moderate 51-100, unhealthy 101-200, very unhealthy 201-299 and hazardous from 300 and above).
The worst affected area was Bukit Rambai in Malacca which hit near unhealthy levels at 93 at 7am but improved to 81 at 5pm.
Poor visibility and skies choked with smog were evident earlier in the day with many complaining of a burning smell. However, this improved as winds picked up.
Visibility was back to normal (more than 10km) in most parts but some areas recorded poor to moderate visibility at 8pm yesterday including Butterworth (5km), Ipoh (4km) and Sitiawan (3km).
Skies were also clearer in the Klang Valley with visibility improving from between 3km and 6km earlier in the day to almost normal levels. Visibility in Petaling Jaya dipped to as low as 2km on Monday.
The Meteorological Department’s Central Forecast Office said stronger wind speeds, especially at the upper surface level, caused the haze to disperse slightly yesterday afternoon.
“Wind patterns in peninsular Malaysia had remained consistent from a south-westerly direction.
“The weather should improve today with rain expected in the evening in areas northward of Kuala Lumpur,” said a spokesman, adding that isolated rain was expected in Johor and Malacca.
According to a regional haze map, the smoke plumes had shifted slightly away from the peninsula.
The KL International Airport reported no delayed flights due to the haze but the Subang airport control tower reported one delay due to haze and technical problems.
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