Sarawakians are rushing to get respiratory masks and preventive medication as the air quality continues to decline.

The number of patients seeking treatment for respiratory complications is also on the rise with a steady flow of asthmatic patients packing government hospitals.

"We usually get a maximum of two customers per week, but now at least four people come everyday complaining of breathing related problems," said a private clinic staff.

A check with local pharmacists also revealed that there is an escalation in the number of people seeking medication for coughs and breathing difficulties.

The masks on the other hand, come in various varieties and prices ranging from RM1 to RM30.

The visibility range from aerial towers was reduced to less than 5km yesterday following the existence of thick density of particulate in the air.

Except for Limbang registering good, the official readings at all Air Pollutant Index (API) monitoring stations were moderate.

(A reading of zero to 50 is good, 51 to 100 is moderate, 101 to 200 is unhealthy, 201 to 300 is very unhealthy and 301 and above hazardous).

Hot and dry spell

The Meteorological Department has forecasted a prolonged hot and dry spell with temperatures hitting 35 degree Celsius.

Humid weather coupled by strong dry winds could tempt shifting padi cultivators in Sarawak to prepare their rice fields the traditional way - 'slash and burn'.

However, with aggressive educational programmes by the Natural Resources Environment Board, traditional farmers are now observing a rotation system to clear their land for agricultural purposes.

Through workshops, rural dwellers have been successfully urged to regulate and arrange burning in stages.

Learning from the alarming haze incident of 1997, farmers now realise that they can make a big difference.

On Sept 19, 1997 the state government had to declare an emergency when the API index reached 851. API reading between 300 to 500 is already considered hazardous.

The Department of Environment (DOE) is appealing to the public to observe controlled open burning based on the Canadian fire danger rating system.

Under the system, no open burning is allowed if the air pollution index reaches 100 or when the government imposes a ban on burning.

The haze in Sarawak is still predominantly an imported problem due to the open burning in Indonesia.

JIMMY TEOH is malaysiakini 's Sarawak-based stringer.