NREB: Nearly 800 hotspots detected in Kalimantan Barat

KUCHING (Sept 6): Almost 800 hotspots were detected in Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia over the past few days, said Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) controller Jack Liam.

He told The Borneo Post this in response to public enquiries on the reason behind hazy conditions in some areas of the city today.

Some members of the public have also complained of a lingering odour in the air since the hazy conditions began.

A check found the Air Pollutant Index (API) reading for Kuching at 11am today was moderate at 98.

At the same time, Serian had the highest API reading in the country at an unhealthy 151.

Other readings released on the Department of Environment’s Air Pollutant Index Management System website showed that the air quality in other areas of Sarawak remained moderate.

An API reading of 51 to 100 is considered moderate, while API readings of 101 to 200 are categorised as unhealthy.

According to the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre website, several clusters of hotspots have been detected in Kalimantan and Sumatra, Indonesia this week.