Sarawak is still being blanketed by the haze despite its general retreat elsewhere from Malaysian skies.

azlan Miri is the only place to have an unhealthy air quality recording, with an Air Pollution Index (API) reading of 101, while most areas in the country have good or moderate air quality.

Five areas in Sarawak are still above the ‘moderate' mark with Samarahan recording the highest reading at 72.

The worsening haze in Sarawak is being fed by local peat fires in addition to the conflagration in Indonesia. Things are made worse by the lack of rain from the recent dry-spell plaguing the state in recent weeks.

According to the Department of Environment's monitoring up to 11am today, 58 percent or 28 areas recorded good air quality while 39 percent or 19 areas experienced moderate air quality.

Areas which registered good API included Langkawi in Kedah (25), USM in Penang (23), Seri Manjung in Perak (38), Kangar in Perlis (24), Paka in Terengganu (44) and Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (42).

Areas with moderate API included Muar in Johor (54), Nilai in Negeri Sembilan (74), Bukit Rambai in Malacca (54) and Kuching in Sarawak (60).

Rain been a help

In Selangor, areas with moderate air quality included Port Klang (58) and Kuala Selangor (82). Cheras in Kuala Lumpur had an API reading of 61.

kl haze 120805 pedestrian The API classification is as follows: 0-50 (good), 51-100 (moderate), 101-200 (unhealthy), 201-300 (very unhealthy) and 300 and above (hazardous).

Yesterday, the API recordings up to 5pm showed 22 areas (45 per cent) with good air quality and 26 areas (54 per cent) at moderate level.

According to the Asean Secretariat's haze watch report from its HazeOnline website , the "recent shower activities in Sumatra and Borneo could have helped to alleviate the smoke haze".

The extra rains and windy condition were caused by the recent typhoon Morakot, a blessing-in-disguise which has helped to ease the hazy conditions in the region.

Cycling expedition stranded by haze

Underlining the problem of the haze in Sabah and Sarawak was the case of 80 cyclists of the 2009 Pan-Borneo Cycling Expedition who were stranded about 10km from Miri yesterday.

Expedition co-ordinator Romie Len told Bernama yesterday that "they had to abandon their cycling...due to the severe haze".

"To cope with the haze along the way, they are given face masks, sufficient rest and sleep," said Len, who is from the Sarawak Health Department.

Made up of officers of the respective health ministries or departments from Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia, the expedition was organized to re-affirm ties and social bonding between the officials and encourage the public to take up healthy physical activities.

What was unintended was perhaps the first hand encounter for the health officials, with the problems brought upon by the haze.