The haze may not have a major impact on tourist arrivals in Malacca but it has had quite a devastating effect on roadside traders, especially hawkers of food and drinks at popular tourist attractions in Bandar Hilir.
The traders told Bernama they lost much income due to the worsening haze because many customers were reluctant to eat and drink at roadside stalls due to health concerns.
Mohd Kassim Mohd Ali, 33, owner of the famous Cendol Jam Besar at the Stadthuys Complex, said this was the worst flop in his family's 50 years of business and "a very depressing moment" to overcome.
"Never in 50 years has this kind of situation happened. I have lost many customers and it's very depressing because usually I'll earn about RM300 per day but now I can just earn RM100 and it's a great loss for me," he said.
He said normally 50 to 150 customers, including locals and foreign tourists, would drop by his stall every day but now, due to the haze, only 10 to 15 customers came and most of them were foreigners.
The air pollutant index (API) for Malacca City and Bukit Rambai remained unhealthy, at 153 and 165 respectively, as at 9am today, according to the website of the Department of Environment.
Schools in Malacca are closed today following a directive from the Education Ministry last night, which also affected schools in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Negeri Sembilan due to the worsening haze.
Ice cream seller Tan Chian Chu, 44, said she usually earned around RM500 per day at her stall in Jonker Walk but the haze had slashed that to RM200.
She said many customers complained about the haze and avoided buying her ice cream due to health concerns.
"I really feel this haze is ruining my business. It is chasing away all my customers. The children want ice cream but the parents don't buy it for them because they fear they may fall ill," she said.
Tey Geok Bee, 50, owner of a Portuguese tart stall, said most of her customers in this past two weeks had been foreigners and this was not a good sign for her.
"Since this haze started, all my local customers have kept away. I don't want this to happen because foreigners just stay here for one or two weeks and then go off but the local people buy my tarts all the time," she said.
She usually earns about RM200 per day but now only RM50 or less and the profit is not helping her to survive because all her profits has to go back to buying the ingredients and paying the rental for the stall at Jonker Walk.
As for James Lee, 59, who has been operating a souvenir shop at Dutch Square for the past 23 years, the haze this time has affected his business badly.
"At this moment, the economy is already not stable and this haze is causing more instability. I can't make any profit from my business because I used to earn at least RM500 to RM800 per day previously. Now, I can't even get RM100," he said with a sigh.
The traders told Bernama they lost much income due to the worsening haze because many customers were reluctant to eat and drink at roadside stalls due to health concerns.
Mohd Kassim Mohd Ali, 33, owner of the famous Cendol Jam Besar at the Stadthuys Complex, said this was the worst flop in his family's 50 years of business and "a very depressing moment" to overcome.
"Never in 50 years has this kind of situation happened. I have lost many customers and it's very depressing because usually I'll earn about RM300 per day but now I can just earn RM100 and it's a great loss for me," he said.
He said normally 50 to 150 customers, including locals and foreign tourists, would drop by his stall every day but now, due to the haze, only 10 to 15 customers came and most of them were foreigners.
The air pollutant index (API) for Malacca City and Bukit Rambai remained unhealthy, at 153 and 165 respectively, as at 9am today, according to the website of the Department of Environment.
Schools in Malacca are closed today following a directive from the Education Ministry last night, which also affected schools in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Negeri Sembilan due to the worsening haze.
Ice cream seller Tan Chian Chu, 44, said she usually earned around RM500 per day at her stall in Jonker Walk but the haze had slashed that to RM200.
She said many customers complained about the haze and avoided buying her ice cream due to health concerns.
"I really feel this haze is ruining my business. It is chasing away all my customers. The children want ice cream but the parents don't buy it for them because they fear they may fall ill," she said.
Tey Geok Bee, 50, owner of a Portuguese tart stall, said most of her customers in this past two weeks had been foreigners and this was not a good sign for her.
"Since this haze started, all my local customers have kept away. I don't want this to happen because foreigners just stay here for one or two weeks and then go off but the local people buy my tarts all the time," she said.
She usually earns about RM200 per day but now only RM50 or less and the profit is not helping her to survive because all her profits has to go back to buying the ingredients and paying the rental for the stall at Jonker Walk.
As for James Lee, 59, who has been operating a souvenir shop at Dutch Square for the past 23 years, the haze this time has affected his business badly.
"At this moment, the economy is already not stable and this haze is causing more instability. I can't make any profit from my business because I used to earn at least RM500 to RM800 per day previously. Now, I can't even get RM100," he said with a sigh.
