Yes, it’s baaaaaaaaack! Numerous e-mails, sms and even a phone call have updated me on the latest bout of white stinky skies to hit the Klang Valley.
As usual, fingers are pointed to Sumateran forest fires, and only when ‘exposed’ were the peat fires near Cyberjaya also acknowledged as the source of the hazy skies.
And as usual, the people in general are clamouring for the government to do something.
And as usual, only when things are bad will the government then ban ‘open burning’: of course, the main offenders continue to flout such laws and rules… heck, who’s gonna bother tracking them down?
And I guess the cloud-seeding exercise will commence again?
Did they ever implement that idea of having high-rise buildings install some sort of sprinkler system on the outside, so that they could sprinkle water into the air and hope to bring the smoke particles down to the ground? I have my doubts that it will be effective, but hey, that never stopped the government before…
And to top it off; everyone attempts to counteract the effect of the haze by wearing surgical masks and such over their nose & mouth. Sorry folks, all that does is give you a psychological boost, I don’t think the dust and smoke particles are actually caught or filtered out by those things!
I know it’s horrible, but really, by the time the haze gets this bad, there’s nothing much that can be done! Which raises the question: what on earth is being done to prevent such a thing? Jeeeeez!
Btw, no-one’s replied yes/no to my question of is this year’s haze worse than the one from 1998? (Hmmm, according to Jeff Ooi, the worst was in 1997. Maybe it overlapped: end ’97 early ’98? I certainly don’t remember the month(s) we were affected by it). From what I’ve read, it’s definitely comparable!
I remember the haze hanging low to the ground… it was not white, but a light yellow color… and it had a smell of, well, smoke. Ugh!
My sympathies to everyone having to put up with breathing in the crap, especially those with asthma and other respiratory diseases: it seems it’s not going away till October?!
Not to rub it in or anything, but boy am I glad I’m halfway across the world from y’all right now!!
Useful reads & pix:
1. Jeff Ooi: Government decides to release API
2. TV Smith's pix: What the fog?
3. DOE's API page (http://www.jas.sains.my/jas/Air+Pollutant+Index.htm)
[Undated image from Google & BBC UK]
there was a open fire burning near tmn paramount lrt station at a construction site on tues evening. No one is doing anything to stop it also. I wish someone can go nad the baddies there... i'm upset about it
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