OFFICIAL PORTAL
PRIME MINISTER'S DEPARTMENT
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY
PRIME MINISTER'S DEPARTMENT
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY
JOHOR BAHRU, Oct 20 — For delivery riders in Johor, escaping the thick haze that has settled over the state is not as simple as staying indoors. Their livelihoods depend on being out on the road, even as the polluted air takes a toll on their health.
As air quality reached very unhealthy levels in several parts of the state last week, riders reported sore throats, stinging eyes and other symptoms, leaving some to weigh the cost of fewer deliveries against the risks of prolonged exposure.
The haze, carried across the region by smoke from fires in Indonesia, has prompted Johor to extend school and educational institution closures until October 23, even as outdoor workers continue their daily routines.
For Ghani Jaafar, a 50-year-old food and beverage delivery rider on the outskirts of Johor Bahru, the effects of the haze were difficult to ignore.
After spending long hours making deliveries on his motorcycle, he developed a sore throat and mild nasal irritation. “The symptoms happened early last week and persisted up till the weekend.
“If the haze becomes severe this week, I will consider temporarily scaling down on my deliveries,” he told Malay Mail while making his rounds yesterday. But cutting back on work is hardly straightforward.
Ghani also works part-time as a construction site supervisor, leaving him with little opportunity to escape the outdoor conditions. Between the two jobs, he spends more than 10 hours a day working.
“It is meaningless for people like me to be indoors as both my jobs are based outdoors. On average, I spend more than 10 hours a day doing both jobs.
“The best I can do is to drink more water, monitor the current Air Pollutant Index (API) and try to minimise being outdoors,” he said.
He is aware of the risks, from coughing and eye irritation to sore throats and shortness of breath. Yet avoiding the haze would also mean giving up working hours.
Prolonged exposure to haze, particularly fine particulate matter known as PM2.5, can irritate the eyes and respiratory tract and aggravate existing conditions such as asthma.
In an October 15 advisory, the Health Ministry urged the public to avoid outdoor activities when the API exceeds 100, the threshold for unhealthy air quality, and recommended N95 masks for those who must venture outside. Employers were also advised to provide the masks to outdoor workers.
For Mohd Eddin Sanusi, another delivery rider, the problem has been particularly acute on the road.
The 38-year-old said the haze had left his eyes sore and stinging, sometimes affecting his ability to see clearly while riding his motorcycle.
“Since early last week, I have had sore eyes that started with a stinging sensation from the haze.
“This also affected my vision when I’m riding my motorcycle,” he told Malay Mail when met at a 24-hour restaurant here recently.
“I wash my face more often and use eye drops to relieve the soreness.
“Besides that, I was advised by my family to avoid any delivery runs if the API is above 200,” said Mohd Eddin, who also works as a car rental executive in Pontian.
Under Malaysia’s API classification, readings between 201 and 300 are considered very unhealthy, while those above 300 are classified as hazardous.
Johor recorded 30,648 cases of asthma and upper respiratory tract infections in October as of mid-month, a 20.7 per cent week-on-week increase, according to state Education and Information Committee chairman Dr Muhammad Naqib Md Ghazali.
Mohd Eddin began making deliveries three years ago to supplement his income. He described the latest haze as the worst he had encountered since taking up the work.
“This time round, the haze has hit most of southern Johor, where most delivery riders are based.
“It would be good if the government could come out with an assistance package for gig workers like me who are affected by the haze,” he said.
For some riders, the trade-off is already reshaping their working routines.
Putera Mohammad Aidil, 41, who makes food deliveries for his family’s stall in Bandar Baru Uda, has begun limiting how far he travels after experiencing a sore throat and eye irritation.
The Johor Bahru-based rider said he was concerned about the long-term consequences of breathing polluted air while working.
He recently downloaded an air quality monitoring app to help plan his daily deliveries, but it was advice from his wife that led him to restrict his routes to nearby residential areas.
“My family operates a food stall in Bandar Baru Uda and I normally do the motorcycle deliveries,” he said when contacted yesterday.
“With the current haze and due to health concerns, my wife told me to concentrate my deliveries within the nearby residential area only.
“In a way, this cuts down on my deliveries and contact with the haze, but it also affects my business as well.
“However, as a family man with three young children, I can’t forgo my health.”
KUALA LUMPUR: Sebanyak 29 kawasan di seluruh negara merekodkan Indeks Pencemaran Udara (IPU) pada tahap tidak sihat setakat jam 7 pagi ini, dengan Batu Muda merekodkan bacaan tertinggi, iaitu 172.
Berdasarkan data Sistem Indeks Pencemaran Udara (APIMS), Johan Setia mencatatkan bacaan 170, diikuti Petaling Jaya (165), Shah Alam dan Nilai masing-masing 164, Cheras (163), Bukit Rambai (162 ),Klang (161), Putrajaya (160) dan Seremban (159).
Selain itu, Banting dan Larkin masing-masing 157 ,Pasir Gudang (156) manakala Tasek Ipoh serta Paka, 155.
Sementara itu, 33 lagi kawasan di seluruh negara merekodkan bacaan IPU pada tahap sederhana dan enam lokasi lain mencatatkan IPU baik.
Bacaan IPU sifar hingga 50 menunjukkan kualiti udara baik, 51 hingga 100 (sederhana), 101 hingga 200 (tidak sihat), 201 hingga 300 (sangat tidak sihat) dan IPU melebihi 300 (berbahaya).
Jerebu dijangka pulih akhir bulan ini
- Admin UKK
- Berita
ARAU: Jerebu yang melanda Malaysia ketika ini dijangka beransur pulih menjelang akhir bulan ini apabila negara mula memasuki fasa peralihan monsun yang mempengaruhi peningkatan hujan serta perubahan arah serta kelajuan angin.
Pensyarah Fakulti Kejuruteraan dan Teknologi Awam Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UNIMAP), Prof Madya Dr Norazian Mohamed Noor berkata faktor itu membantu mengurangkan kepekatan bahan pencemar di atmosfera, di samping mengurangkan pengangkutan asap rentas sempadan dari Indonesia.
Berdasarkan tinjauan cuaca jangka panjang Jabatan Meteorologi (METMalaysia) bagi Oktober sehingga Mac 2027, kebanyakan kawasan Malaysia dijangka masih menerima hujan sekitar purata klimatologi sepanjang bulan ini hingga Disember.
Sebagai contoh, Selangor diramal menerima antara 220 hingga 330 milimeter (mm) hujan bulan ini dan 250 hingga 380 mm pada November.
Kuala Lumpur pula dijangka menerima antara 240 hingga 360mm hujan pada Oktober dan 300 hingga 450mm pada November.
"Keadaan itu memberi petunjuk positif bahawa peningkatan hujan berpotensi membantu memperbaiki kualiti udara di Malaysia. Bagaimanapun pemulihan itu tidak semestinya berlaku secara serentak di semua kawasan di negara ini."Keadaan jerebu bukan sahaja dipengaruhi oleh hujan yang turun di Malaysia tetapi turut bergantung kepada aktiviti kebakaran, taburan hujan di kawasan sumber pencemaran serta arah pergerakan angin.
"Hujan di negara kita sahaja tidak mencukupi untuk memastikan jerebu rentas sempadan berakhir sekiranya kebakaran masih aktif di kawasan sumber (Indonesia)," katanya di sini, baru-baru ini.Norazian memberitahu, berdasarkan analisis Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi dan Geofisika Indonesia (BMKG) bertarikh 13 Oktober lalu, sebahagian kawasan selatan Sumatera, Kalimantan Barat, Kalimantan Tengah dan Kalimantan Selatan masih dijangka menerima hujan rendah iaitu kurang daripada 50 mm bagi tempoh 10 hari tertentu sepanjang bulan ini.
Keadaan itu boleh meningkatkan risiko kebakaran hutan dan tanah gambut khususnya apabila kawasan berkenaan mengalami kekeringan berpanjangan.
"Bagaimanapun, ramalan BMKG itu turut menunjukkan peningkatan hujan di beberapa kawasan Sumatera dan Kalimantan menjelang November dan Disember dengan sebahagian kawasan berpotensi terima hujan melebihi 300 mm sebulan.
"Sekiranya hujan secara berterusan dan meliputi kawasan kebakaran, keadaan ini boleh membantu mengurangkan aktiviti kebakaran dan penghasilan asap," katanya.
JITRA – Seramai 26 mangsa daripada lapan keluarga ditempatkan di pusat pemindahan sementara (PPS) Dewan Lembah Keriang susulan banjir yang melanda daerah Kubang Pasu sejak petang semalam.
Dalam kejadian itu, seorang lelaki warga emas yang lumpuh dari Kampung Baru, Changlun dekat sini turut dipindahkan ke rumah anaknya dengan bantuan anggota Angkatan Pertahanan Awam (APM) bagi memastikan keselamatannya.
Pegawai Pertahanan Awam Daerah Kubang Pasu, Kapten (PA) Mohd Adenin Suhaimi berkata, banjir kilat itu berlaku selepas hujan lebat berserta kilat bermula kira-kira pukul 3 petang semalam di beberapa kawasan.
“Air melimpah ke jalan berikutan hujan lebat dan sistem perparitan,” katanya di sini, hari ini.
Kawasan terjejas melibatkan Taman Resak, Kampung Baru dan Kampung Lembah Keriang dengan radius kawasan terjejas antara 0.5 hingga satu kilometer.
Setakat pukul 8 pagi ini, seramai 26 mangsa daripada lapan keluarga masih ditempatkan di PPS Dewan Lembah Keriang tanpa perubahan jumlah penghuni. – KOSMO! ONLINE
PETALING JAYA – Keadaan jerebu yang masih menyelubungi ibu negara pagi ini mengundang kebimbangan orang ramai apabila beberapa mercu tanda terkenal termasuk Menara Berkembar Petronas (KLCC), Menara Kuala Lumpur dan Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) dilaporkan tidak kelihatan jelas.
Situasi itu dikongsikan seorang pengguna menerusi hantaran di Threads @Adiazwari yang menyifatkan keadaan jerebu di sekitar Sentul, Kuala Lumpur masih teruk sehingga disangkakan kabus.
“Malaysia jerebu masih teruk ya pagi ni, ingat kabus. KLCC, KL Tower, TRX semua tak nampak lagi,” tulisnya.
Tinjauan di ruang komen mendapati rata-rata pengguna turut meluahkan kebimbangan terhadap keadaan jerebu yang dilihat masih belum pulih.
“Sekejap je KL bersih petang semalam. Mungkin sebab angin tolak jerebu ke tempat lain. Lepas itu teruk balik,” kata @Cheabdullah.
“Hujan semalam pun macam tak ada fungsi sangat dah. Masih teruk juga, tahun ni teruk betul.. sekolah anak pun tak tutup walaupun IPU tinggi, penat suruh anak pakai KN95 tak ada dia nak ikut cakap,” kata @Fuzlieyana.
“Ya Allah teruk sangat dah ni. Semoga sebelum puasa hilang dah jerebu ni,” kata @Syahira. – KOSMO! ONLINE