The Hindu Business Line : Fazed by the haze in KL

IF a newcomer to Kuala Lumpur after seeing people sporting face mask imagines that the deadly SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) disease has revisited Malaysia, he may be pardoned, for this time it is the haze which has prompted people on the street to use masks.

The city has been enveloped by haze for a week now, and, since the last three days this correspondent has been here, it has been getting worse. On the street, the visibility is poor even during broad daylight. The sun is red in colour at noon because of haze, an unusual sight.

Many schools and some offices too have been closed, even as people avoid going out and exposing themselves to polluted air. Those with breathing problems are particularly affected.

Even before I flew out of Mumbai earlier this week, my good friend Allan Au Yong Kean Weng, Managing Director of Ground Breakers Sdn Bhd, an upcoming event management company, had warned me about the haze and suggested I use a face-mask while in Kuala Lumpur.

"If this (haze problem) continues for some time, even the flow of tourists may be affected," he observed. Visitors to the city obviously are uncomfortable at the prospect of either not being able to venture out freely or risk being exposed to air pollution.

Haze has reportedly originated from far away Sumatra (Indonesia) following the burning of aged or unproductive palm trees on large tracts of land. The resultant smoke has drifted towards Malaysia with the wind blowing north and northwest.

Quite apart from affecting business prospects on a day-to-day basis, continued air pollution and lack of sunshine for prolonged period of time can have adverse consequences on the health of people; and importantly, on the productivity of oil palm plantations in Malaysia. Poor sunlight can potentially affect oil palm yields.

"Although there is no immediate threat to palm oil production in the country, we have to monitor the air quality regularly and assess its medium term impact on our plantations," asserted a senior official of the Malaysian Palm Oil Promotion Council.

As a matter of emergency, the Malaysian Government has decided to depute two ministers to discuss the issue with Indonesian Government. Ironically, the Malaysian delegation could not fly out sooner because of poor visibility.

While haze problem is nothing unusual for Malaysia at this time of the year, in the past, some Malaysian companies engaged in oil palm plantation in Indonesia were responsible for open burning and causing air pollution.

The Malaysian Government is now keen that such events do not recur and that pollution is contained through co-operation between the two countries.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Fazed by the haze in KL

Hectic Sept for Kerala Tourism

Hollywood movie CDs at Rs 30?

It's not enough to be stupid