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THE AIR POLLUTANT INDEX (API)

YOU CAN CLICK ON THIS LINK!

http://aqicn.org/map/malaysia/

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Air Pollutant Index of Malaysia

Malaysia Air Pollutant Index – Department of Environment

API Colour References. Good Below 50 11 Area/s. Moderate 51 – 100 31 Area/s. Unhealthy 101 – 200 9 Area/s. Very Unhealthy 201 – 300 0 Area/s. Hazardous ..

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25 October 2015

22 spots with ‘unhealthy’ API readings, Port Klang worst http://twib.in/l/8xeKqMxByrX  | https://twibble.io 

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ENV Crisis SE Asian Smog/Haze 2015 Important .@MSNBC What you need 2Know! http://goo.gl/6TNGZG  #StopTheFires

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22 October 2015

#Haze: Schools in Perlis, Penang and Perak to close tomorrow due to worsening air quality: Education Ministry

#Haze: (1) Schools in N. Sembilan, Sgor, Putrajaya, KL, Bentong, Pahang to reopen tomorrow

#Haze (2): Also ordered to reopen tomorrow are schools in Kuching, Sri Aman, Samarahan, Betong, Swak

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21 October 2015

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Schools to shut again tomorrow as haze engulfs nation

More than two million students will not go to school for the fourth consecutive day tomorrow as worsening haze forces schools to shut down.

This involves 4,778 schools in:

• Negri Sembilan;
• Selangor;
• Putrajaya;
• Kuala Lumpur;
• Perak;
• Penang;
• Kedah;
• Perlis;
• The district of Bentong in Pahang; and
• The districts of Kuching, Samarahan and Sri Aman in Sarawak.

Schools to shut again tomorrow as #haze engulfs nation https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/316597 

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/316597

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#Haze:Schools in N. Sembilan, Sgor, Putrajaya, KL, Perak, Penang, Kedah, Perlis & Bentong, Pahang to close tomorrow

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#Haze: Schools in Kuching, Samarahan, Sri Aman & Betong in Sarawak also ordered to close tomorrow.

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#Haze: 34 flights in and out of #Langkawi cancelled http://www.nst.com.my/news/2015/10/haze-34-flights-and-out-langkawi-cancelled … #nst170

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“My vase will suck all the haze!” – Malaysian Witch Doctor #magic #haze #MalaysiaBoleh

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Shah Alam air quality hits ‘very unhealthy’ level http://bit.ly/1XiQkxo 

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#Haze: Shah Alam records very unhealthy air http://fw.to/yBqmovI 

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20 October 2015

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3 flights cancelled, 2 arrivals rerouted as smog affects Ipoh airport http://bit.ly/1Xhbj3t 

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More than 1.7m students in Malaysia to be affected by Wednesday’s school closure http://bit.ly/1ONfWPL  #MYHaze

NST

Haze forced two Ipoh-bound flights to land in Subang

Haze forced two Ipoh-bound flights to land in Subang http://www.nst.com.my/news/2015/10/haze-forced-two-ipoh-bound-flights-land-subang … #nst170

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IPOH: Two planes that were heading to Ipoh had to be diverted to Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang following the severe haze in the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport (LTSAS) here this morning.

Manager of Malaysian Airport Holding Berhad LTSAS, Mohd Ali Osman said the plane’s flight from Singapore Air ATR72 and ATR72 Firefly from Johor Bharu each should have arrived at the track LTAS at 11.30am and 11.35am respectively.

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The Education Ministry in a statement today ordered that schools in Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Selangor, Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Samarahan in Sarawak, Tawau, Lahad Datu, Semporna and Kunak in Sabah as well as Muar, Ledang and Segamat in Johor be closed on Tuesday 20 October 2015.

Schools to remain closed tomorrow in haze-hit areas http://www.nst.com.my/news/2015/10/schools-remain-closed-tomorrow-haze-hit-areas … #nst170

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19 October 2014

#HazeSituation: Seremban worst hit in Malaysia as smoke chokes 17 areas http://tdy.sg/1OD0cR5 

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18 October 2015

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6 October 2015

Perhaps it’s time to call in the API coconut-man

Perhaps it’s time to call in the API coconut-man http://twib.in/l/eayqMnALrKa  | https://twibble.io 

YOURSAY | ‘Malaysia has so many things to hide – from 1MDB to pollutant index.’

Why is API so low when it’s a post-apocalypse movie outside?

Negarawan: After many years of haze, the failure of developing and adopting a common standard of air quality measurement is yet another sign of the failure of Asean.

Year after year, we keep on hearing the same complaints from countries affected by the haze, but yet Indonesia is not compelled to do anything concrete.

Indonesia legally allows smallholders to clear their plantation land by burning, and the large plantation companies conveniently put the blame on smallholders for starting the fires. Local Indonesian authorities are said to be corrupt and their enforcement activities are ineffective.

It is time for affected countries like Malaysia and Singapore to take legal action against Indonesia outside of the Asean framework, in view of the large financial losses suffered by the tourism, air transport, and other sectors that are required to close down their operations due to health and safety hazard.

This includes the large medical expenses that people have to incur due to respiratory illnesses.

Abasir: Why don’t the Air Pollutant Index (API) readings reflect the filthy air outside?

For the same reasons we are told the economy and its fundamentals are okay, 1MDB is sound, PM Najib Abdul Razak is a highly respected national leader and Rosmah Mansor a simple housewife.

Snake-in-the-Grass: We could train your sniffer dogs and check its wet teary eyes for degree of API, or get the API coconut-man to use his incredible methods to detect haze.

Or simply use our Visibility Index – our eyes can see how bad everything is. But then again, we do have many ‘blind’ people around.

Mosquitobrain: Malaysia has so many things to hide – from 1MDB to pollutant index. All at the expense of people. Poor souls.

Just Your Normal Rakyat: This has been happening for many years. If our Department of Environment (DOE) is aware of the shortcomings with regard to the API readings, why don’t they correct it?

They can still use whatever standards that they are using now, but add in more readings, for example, four hours weighted average so that a more suitable announcement and accurate actions can be taken.

If need be, we can add in other air condition monitoring instruments which need not be highly sophisticated or expensive.

Arosh: Good explanation, writer Koh Jun Lin, but I have another view.

Given the current constraints, why not also report the median range, together with the mean, so that a simple picture is available to the public at large that can be easily understood.

I agree also we should measure PM2.5, even if we have 12 stations – some data is better than no data, so why wait till 2017?

The other issue is that, what is the correlation of PM10 and incidents of increased respiratory illnesses for the chronic sufferers? The Health Ministry and the DOE had 10 years to do a study with help from some local universities. Was it ever done and published?

It is always easier just using the United Nations standard and say “all is well”, but local conditions of air environmental quality differ. We should just stop relying on others and do our own ‘homework’. You want to be a high income and technology nation, that’s what you do.

Wira: Show some ingenuity, DOE. Please give six-hour moving averages instead of 24. This is a better indication whether we should continue to stay indoor.

The writer failed to mention that the reason why we were not using the PM2.5 standard was that not all our equipment could measure to 2.5 micron air particulate.

Why don’t Umno donate some money from that RM2.6 billion to Malaysia so that we might buy new PM2.5 equipment?

Read more:

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/314655

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4 October 2015

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Parents, take note: Schools are ordered to be closed for 2 days following worsening #haze!

Haze: Schools in Peninsular Malaysia closed for two days; except Kelantan http://www.nst.com.my/news/2015/10/haze-schools-peninsular-malaysia-closed-two-days-except-kelantan … @KemPendidikan

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#Haze: Shah Alam API reading hits 308 as of 9am; hazardous to high risk people and public health

Air quality index in Shah Alam breaches 300 http://bit.ly/1OcjN8T 

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Smoke reduces visibility to less than 3km http://bit.ly/1OchK4t 

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Jerebu bertambah buruk dengan kedatangan El Nino http://bit.ly/1MSHv8n 

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3 October 2015

Standard Chartered KL Marathon Cancelled Due To Unhealthy Level Of Haze http://bit.ly/scklmcancelled  #SCKLM2015

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Stanchart Marathon cancelled as haze worsens

Stanchart Marathon cancelled as haze worsens http://twib.in/l/o8y6ArBMLXz  | https://twibble.io 

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Haze-induced visibility below 5km in 9 states http://www.nst.com.my/news/2015/10/haze-induced-visibility-below-5km-9-states …

KUALA LUMPUR: The Meteorological Department has issued a warning on haze-induced low visibility of less than five kilometres over the waters off nine states today.

It said in a statement that the affected areas are Kedah, Penang, Perak, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Melaka, Johor, Pahang and Sarawak.

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Malaysian Insider ‏@tm_insider 23m23 minutes ago

Unhealthy air in Klang Valley, Johor, Negri Sembilan, Malacca http://bit.ly/1MPNIBY 

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29 September 2015

Malaysian Insider

Johor schools ordered to close tomorrow, the 3rd consecutive day!

Johor schools ordered to close again tomorrow http://twib.in/l/k8q9Ak8naXz  | https://twibble.io 

Schools in Johor have been instructed to shut down for the third consecutive day as thick haze continue to engulf the state.

Johor and Malacca schools were closed Monday and Tuesday, while schools in several others states were closed on Monday.

The Education Ministry in a statement said schools must remain closed in the southern state because the Air Pollutant Index readings there have not changed since yesterday.

However, schools in neighbouring Malacca will open as the air quality has improved.

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/313931

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Star

Tuesday September 29, 2015 MYT 7:29:53 AM

Johor and Malacca schools closed

PETALING JAYA: The Education Ministry has ordered the closure of all schools in Johor and Malacca today due to the haze.

Both states recorded unhealthy levels in the Air Pollutant Index (API) readings as of 4pm yesterday.

The closure will involve 1,178 schools and 618,326 students in Johor, and 314 schools and 156,635 students in Malacca.

Schools in other parts of the country that were closed yesterday will open as usual today.

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/09/29/Johor-and-Malacca-schools-closed-Students-in-other-parts-of-the-country-to-resume-classes-as-usual-t/

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28 September 2015

On Sunday, 27 September 2015, four of us were to fly by Firefly from Singapore to Ipoh. It was the 9.35am flight.

The flight time was pushed to 10.35am, then 12 noon, but the plane finally took off at 1.15pm. The plane came from Subang airport but it was too hazy there, which was the cause of our re-timed flight.

Over Ipoh airport, it was too hazy to land, so our plane flew in a holding circle for 10 minutes. Finally, we landed at 3.30pm.

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Star

Sunday September 27, 2015 MYT 8:22:15 PM

Haze: Schools in several states to close on Monday

by rashvinjeet s. bedi

PETALING JAYA: Schools in several states will be closed again due to the worsening haze.

The Education Ministry said that schools in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Negri Sembilan and several parts of Sarawak will be closed on Monday.

The schools affected in Sarawak are located in Kuching, Sri Aman and Kota Samarahan. The ministry also ordered schools in Pahang and Tanjung Malim in Perak to close after the API reached unhealthy levels.

On Sunday, the Ministry said in a statement that the closure was because the Air Pollutant Index (API) readings in these areas reached unhealthy and very unhealthy levels.

As of 11am Sunday, the API readings for Port Klang was 252, Shah Alam (281), Petaling Jaya (232), Putrajaya (206) and Batu Muda (256).

In Sarawak, Sri Aman recorded an API reading of 188, Kuching (139) and Samarahan (145).

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/09/27/Haze-schools-to-close/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

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26 September 2015

Malay Mail Online

Subang Airport reopens after more than three-hour closure due to haze

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Penumpang yg terkandas beratur utk buat penukaran tarikh penerbangan di kaunter Malindo & Firefly #Jerebu @501Awani

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19 September 2015

KUALA LUMPUR – Prominent Malaysian bomoh Ibrahim Mat Zin – who first gained infamy after staging rituals to help in the hunt for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane – has come under the spotlight again after performing another ritual to battle the country’s haze.

The 81-year-old self-described faith healer had attracted widespread ridicule last year after he and his assistants wielded large green coconuts over their heads and used bamboo binoculars as part of a ritual to locate the missing flight MH370. The ritual – captured in photos and videos that caught the attention of the international media – went viral, sparking many online spoofs.

The bomoh and his assistants have now performed a prayer ritual to rid the country of the haze, with video of their antics generating another viral sensation among Malaysians.

In a two-minute clip posted by news portal Suara TV on Sept 16, the bomoh is seen reading prayers over an ice block set on top of a steel pot.

“We pray that with the ice block placed on this pot, this ritual will help the people in Malaysia receive light and clean air,” Ibrahim is seen saying in the video, where he is flanked by 10 of his assistants.

Ibrahim – who employed the use of the bamboo binoculars again in the video – also claims that the ritual is a traditional method that has been used for hundreds of years.

http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/malaysian-bomoh-seeks-divine-guidance-to-tackle-countrys-haze

Rajah Bomoh @ #1MalaysiaBomoh: Man who put Malaysia Bomoh (not Malaysia Boleh) on the world map!

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17 September 2015

2 flights cancelled, 6 delayed in Kuching as API hits 209 http://bit.ly/1iiKiNx 

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#haze As at 11am, Kuching(208) , Samarahan(210) with highest API readings; 12 areas recorded unhealthy readings

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Haze: 465 schools involving some 180,000 pupils at 7 districts in Swak have been closed: State Education Dept

15 September 2015

MAKLUMAT TERKINI; YBDS @MahdzirKhalid sebentar tadi telah mengarahkan semua sekolah2 d NegeriSelangor, WP & Putrajaya, NS & Melaka d tutup

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2,045 schools close today due to haze: Mahdzir http://www.nst.com.my/news/2015/09/2045-schools-close-today-due-haze-mahdzir … #nst170

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Malaysia to start cloud-seeding operation at noon to battle haze if conditions ideal

#Malaysia to start cloud-seeding operation at noon to battle haze if conditions ideal http://bit.ly/1FJoVKI 

The Meteorological Department will begin cloud seeding operations on Tuesday (Sept 15) to bring relief to Klang Valley and Kuching. The department’s atmospheric science and cloud seeding division director Maznorizan Mohamad said the operation was targeted to start by noon.

“It will depend on the availability of clouds. If it is favourable, we can start,” she said, adding that one aircraft each will be based in Kuching and Subang airports.

http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/malaysia-to-start-cloud-seeding-operation-at-noon-to-battle-haze-if-conditions-ideal

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Malaysiakini

Schools in five states hit by haze ordered to close

The government has ordered schools in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor Putrajaya, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan to be closed tomorrow.

The instruction by Education Minister Mahadzir Khalid was tweeted by his deputy P Kamalanathan on Twitter tonight.
…

This comes as the haze choking the country becomes steadily worse.

Air Polutant Index (API) readings as of 11pm show that air quality in Kuala Selangor has reached a dangerous levels of 207 while readings for the rest of Selangor hover around the 170 range.

Meanwhile the reading in Negeri Sembilan was 200 for Nilai; Melaka at 193; Kuala Lumpur at 192 and Putrajaya at 182.

http://m.malaysiakini.com/news/312312

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P Kamalanathan ‏@PKamalanathan 11h11 hours ago

14/9/15 : Kenyataan Akhbar KPM Berkaitan Penjagaan Murid Semasa Fenomena @KemPendidikan @MahdzirKhalid @chongsinwoon

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Kenyataan Akhbar @KemPendidikan mengenai Isu Jerebu.

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14 September 20

Penang bridge is gone #haze

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Free Malaysia Today

Penang wants schools to close if API hits 140

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government is working with the Education Ministry to close schools if the air pollutant index reaches 140, said state executive councillor Phee Boon Poh.

Phee, who is chairman of the State Welfare, Caring Society and Environment Committee, said the state government and the ministry were monitoring the haze.

“We are in constant contact with the ministry in monitoring the haze in Penang,” he told Bernama.

The ministry’s instruction is for schools to close if the API reading touches 200 and to cease all activities outside the classroom when the reading hits 150.

The haze in several areas in Penang worsened today, with air quality registering unhealthy levels.

The website of the Department of Environment stated the API for Universiti Sains Malaysia as having risen from 120 at noon to 137 at 4pm, and the reading for Seberang Jaya as having gone up from 116 at noon to 138 at 4pm. The reading at Perai was 96 at noon and went up to 115 at 4pm.

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2015/09/14/penang-wants-schools-to-close-if-api-hits-140/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

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13 September 2015

5 states, FT choke in unhealthy haze levels http://twib.in/l/k87dnjqo6eL  | https://twibble.io 

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12 September 2015

Unhealthy air quality in 17 areas as of 3pm http://bit.ly/1il7kUF 

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11 September 2015

Malaysian Insider

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Malaysian Insider

Air quality in Sarawak worsens, bordering on very unhealthy http://bit.ly/1i3lCZr 

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#KualaLumpur: You know the haze is bad when you can hardly even see the city skyline anymore. Stay hydrated!

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8 September 2015

Schools in 2 states urged to avoid outdoor activities due to worsening haze http://bit.ly/1hSD8zo 

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7 September 2015

Air quality decreases in Johor, Malacca, Negri Sembilan http://bit.ly/1hOTPfg 

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Severe haze around peninsula causing low visibility

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Severe haze around peninsula causing low visibility http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/311335 

Visibility of less than five kilometres around Kedah, Penang, Perak, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Malacca, Johor and Pahang is expected to continue until Wednesday, Sept 9.

The Meteorological Department in a statement yesterday said the situation is also affecting the Straits of Malacca and Sarawak (Kuching and Rejang) and the condition is dangerous to ships without a navigation system.

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MALAYSIA

Haze in Malaysia: Obscuring the Country’s Future http://cleanmalaysia.com/2015/09/06/haze-in-malaysia-obscuring-the-countrys-future/ … #haze #Malaysia #airpollution @malaysiakini

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SINGAPORE

Haze set to get worse, hit ‘unhealthy’ range if winds are unfavourable; 3-hr PSI 60 at 6am http://tdy.sg/1M37GeX 

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