There are 80 hotspots across Sumatra yesterday according to Asean's regional weather agency, the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC).

The information is based on data recorded by the NOAA-18 weather satellite.

ASMC also reported two hotspots in West Malaysia and 146 hotspots in Borneo, but haze was only observed around the peninsula.

"Significant hotspot activities continued to be detected in Sumatra and Borneo. Slight to moderate smoke haze were also observed over Straits of Malacca and some coastal areas in Peninsula Malaysia," it wrote on its regional haze map, which is updated on its website daily.

However, it also cautioned that hotspots may go undetected if it were obscured by clouds during the satellite pass, or if the satellite did not pass over the area at all.

NONE "A hotspot is a mark on an infrared image that contains the spectral signature of high temperature bodies on the ground such as land and forest fires, straw burning after a harvest, and industrial targets such as waste gas flares," explained ASMC.

On Friday, Selangor environment exco Elizabeth Wong ( right ) had said that one of the hotspots in the Peninsula is located in Pulau Kempas, Kuala Langat, and the fire brigade was already tackling the blaze.

The agency is a regional collaboration established since 1993 to pool the resources of national metrological services in the South East Asia.

After a series of haze especially in the late-1990's, ASMC was also tasked with monitoring forest fires and haze in 1997 under the ASEAN Regional Haze Action Plan.

The haze currently affecting the Klang Valley, like many others before, is blamed on slash-and-burn agriculture carried out during the dry season in Sumatra, and prevailing winds carry the haze across the Straits of Malacca.

Meanwhile, the Department of Environment reported on its website that the Air Pollutant Index (API) in four areas are ‘unhealthy' as of 11am today, down eight at the same time yesterday.

The areas categorised as ‘unhealthy', with an API between 101 to 200, are Port Klang with an API of 127, Shah Alam (116), Kuala Selangor (110) and Petaling Jaya (102). All are located in Selangor.

There are 36 areas categorised as having ‘moderate' air quality (API between 51 to 100, and another 11 are categorised as ‘good' (API of 50 and below).

Rain on the way

Meanwhile, Bernama reports that the Meteorological Services Department has forecast rain in several areas in Selangor and the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya this morning.

The department's website reported that Malaysia was experiencing the effects of the Northeast Monsoon which brings with it hot and dry weather that is expected to prolong up to September.