The 400,000 residents in Kuching, the capital of Sarawak, are increasingly concerned at the worsening haze which has already caused the air quality to reach unhealthy levels and reduced visibility by almost 90 percent.

The haze in the city has been recorded as the worst in the whole country as burning of plantation and farming lands across the border in Indonesia's Kalimantan continue unabated. The situation is exacerbated by the lack of rain at this time of the year.

The haze problem also comes at the height of the tourist season, causing concern that if the situation continues to worsen, tourists may stay away.

The increasingly-edgy residents in the city and its sprawling suburbs see it as almost reminiscent of the September 1997 haze crisis which blanketed most of Sarawak and large parts of Southeast Asia, with the blame placed squarely on Indonesia's forest fires and burning of plantation and farming lands, especially in West and South Kalimantan.

Then, the Air Pollutant Index (API) was at an all-time high of 800 and visibility of Kuching roads was less than a few hundred metres. Today, visibility in the city is down to 1.2km.

An API reading of 0-50 is 'good', 50-100 'moderate', 101 to 200 'unhealthy', 201 to 300 'very unhealthy', and 300 to 500 'hazardous'.

However, index figures have not been released since the height of the haze in 1997, only the descriptors, as the government was concerned over undue alarm, especially among foreign tourists, at the figures.

Johoreans at least have the option of referring to neighbour Singapore's National Environment Agency website

to obtain a daily reading of the Pollutants Standards Index which is the same as the API. The reading yesterday was 40.

Internet postings

Others in the country, however, will have to put up with being kept in the dark. Some irate Sarawak residents, annoyed by the lack of constant updates on the haze level over the state-owned radio station, went online to advise fellow citizens to instal their own air filtering equipment at home.

But not all agree that the blame for the haze should only be on the Indonesians.

In an Internet posting on the popular website Sarawak Talk, an individual from Miri who identified himself as 'Mirian' wrote: "Everyone is pointing fingers at Indonesians for the haze problem but [turning] a blind eye to the burning in our backyard.

"Smoke can be seen on both sides of the new road (Tudan to Kuala Baram) yesterday. Whoever is developing the land must be accountable for the fire that is on their plot. Why is the government so slack in doing vigilant checks, giving fines to culprits and publishing their names in the newspapers as a deterrent to others?

"They should also be branded as murderers people are suffering and some may die (asthmatic ones), perhaps not immediately, but think of it as passive smoking for all."

'Mirian' added: "Let us make this country a healthy place to live in and do something before it is too late."

Another Internet posting by someone calling himself or herself 'Annoyed Taxpayer' asked: "Who knows what the API is currently? Why are the local papers not focusing on this topic? Why isn't the government taking drastic measures to counter this irritating problem? Are we to keep silent and wait till something bad happens? Are we to endure all the smoke and just wait till we get the side effects?"

Newspaper reports

Contrary to what the writer alleged, however, Sarawak's newspapers in all major languages did give wide coverage to the worsening air quality.

The English-language Sarawak Tribune headlined a report which said that, Minister of Science, Technology and Environment Law Hieng Ding, who is a Sarawakian, will soon discuss the haze problem with Jakarta.

Another front-page report quoted the ministry as saying that, 982 hotspots had been detected in Kalimantan and two in Sumatra, indicating the reason Sarawak is carrying the brunt of the effects of forest fires across the international border.

It also gave the different readings for the various cities and towns in Malaysia, again indicating that visibility is the worst in Kuching.

Another English daily, The Borneo Post , also ran a report on its front page about bushfires aggravating the situation.

"Although the Department of Environment did not detect any hotspots in the state recently, these fires, which might not be at a scale detectable by satellite, have left the Natural Resources and Environment Board [a state body] with its hands full," the report said.

Dos and don'ts

English tabloid The Malaysian Today carried a front-page picture of a city council worker wearing a mask, with an accompanying report that pointed to contingency plans being drawn up in anticipation of the worsening haze situation.

Quoting the Health Department occupational health and environmental officer Dr Jamilah Hashim, the newspaper reported that the department at a meeting last week had drawn up a contingency plan to be put into effect if the situation deteriorated further.

She said the plan includes a list of 'dos and don'ts' in the event the API reached unhealthy levels, and it is written in both English and Bahasa Malaysia.

As a precautionary measure the department had sent out letters to government departments and schools to cut down on outdoor activities for the time being.

On whether there had been an increase in respiratory-related cases, she said the department was still waiting for the data from hospitals and clinics.

Fights cancelled

Meanwhile, as the haze continued to worsen, reducing visibility and hampering low-level aircraft flights, national carrier Malaysian Airlines announced the cancellation of at least six rural flights in the northern region of Sarawak for the safety of passengers on Friday.

"These flights involved the smaller planes the Twin Otter. The bigger aircrafts have more sophisticated equipment to handle the haze situation," MAS regional manager for Sarawak and Kalimantan Mohd Suffian Abdul Malik said.

He added that if the haze worsened it would not only affect more flights but also the perception of tourists.

"The hotels have been seeing a good number of bookings and the number of flights to the state has been increased prior to this," he added.

"If the situation worsens, it would not just affect MAS but also other sectors of the economy."