Cross border haze to decline by mid October
In this Feb 28, 2014 handout photo by the Indonesia Disaster Task Force, smoke rises from burning areas of cleared forest land in Riau province in the republics Sumatra island. - AFP Photo/Indonesia Disaster Task Force
Cross border haze is expected to decline with the change of the monsoon season in the middle of October.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister, Datuk Seri G. Palanivel said the Northeast Monsoon will bring wet weather and change in the wind direction.
The decline in the air quality in several areas in Penang yesterday was caused by cross border haze from Sumatra, Indonesia.
"This is because Southwest Monsoon winds are blowing to the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia," he said in a statement Saturday.
Palanivel said the Department of Environment director-general had written a note to her Indonesian counterpart about the increased number of hotspots in Sumatra and Kalimantan.
"Malaysia has urged Indonesian authorities to immediately put out forest fires and undertake preventive measures."
He reminded the public to refrain from open burning and prevent others from entering their land to commit open burning.
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