KUALA LUMPUR: More areas have reported poor air quality readings as concerns grow over the country being affected by transboundary haze.

According to the hourly readings published on the Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS) website operated by the Department of Environment (DoE), nine areas recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings as of 8am today, with Alor Gajah in Melaka the worst affected.

Alor Gajah reported an unhealthy API reading of 159, while Bukit Rambai registered an unhealthy reading of 115.

Other areas that recorded unhealthy API readings include Nilai in Negri Sembilan (158); Banting (155) and Johan Setia (152) in Selangor; Temerloh (155) in Pahang; and Kemaman in Terengganu (152).

Cheras (152) and Putrajaya (124) also reported unhealthy API readings.

KUALITI udara di beberapa kawasan utama negara terus menunjukkan trend penurunan apabila enam lokasi direkodkan berada pada tahap tidak sihat setakat jam 8.40 malam, Ahad.

Menurut laman sesawang Sistem Pengurusan Indeks Pencemaran Udara Malaysia (APIMS) kendalian Jabatan Alam Sekitar, kawasan Nilai, Negeri Sembilan merekodkan bacaan IPU tertinggi iaitu 161, diikuti Banting, Selangor (155); Johan Setia, Selangor (153); Alor Gajah, Melaka (152); Putrajaya, Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya (147) dan Temerloh, Pahang (113).

Sebelum ini, Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS), Datuk Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaafar berkata, kemerosotan kualiti udara pada Ahad masih dipengaruhi oleh pergerakan asap jerebu yang memasuki rantau negara sepanjang tempoh 24 jam lalu.

Menurut beliau, berdasarkan laporan ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) yang berpusat di Singapura pada Sabtu, imej satelit National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-20 mengesan sebanyak 65 titik panas (hotspot) di Sumatera.

Dalam pada itu, ASMC dilaporkan mengaktifkan amaran tahap dua bagi rantau ASEAN Selatan susulan peningkatan ketara aktiviti titik panas dan cuaca kering berpanjangan yang melanda kawasan berkenaan.

Pengaktifan tersebut menyaksikan laporan terkini mengenai situasi jerebu serantau akan dikeluarkan dua kali sehari, masing-masing pada jam 3 pagi dan 9 pagi Waktu Universal Selaras (UTC) atau bersamaan jam 11 pagi dan 5 petang waktu Malaysia.

Melihat kepada peningkatan kawasan terlibat, orang ramai khususnya penduduk di kawasan terjejas perlu bersedia menghadapi kemungkinan bacaan IPU kekal tidak sihat atau meningkat pada hari Isnin sekiranya tiada hujan atau tiupan angin yang membantu menyuraikan pencemaran.

Sudah tentu, golongan kanak-kanak, warga emas, ibu mengandung dan mereka yang menghidap penyakit pernafasan perlu membuat persediaan awal dari segi mengehadkan aktiviti luar dan memakai pelitup muka apabila berada di kawasan terbuka.

Kawasan Lembah Klang dan sekitar pantai barat Semenanjung dijangka kekal berisiko tinggi memandangkan aktiviti perindustrian, pembakaran terbuka dan cuaca panas kering menyumbang kepada kepekatan bahan pencemaran.

Kualiti udara yang terus merosot di beberapa kawasan memberi isyarat jelas bahawa pemantauan rapi dan tanggungjawab bersama diperlukan bagi mengurangkan risiko kesihatan awam.

Sekiranya tiada perubahan dalam corak cuaca atau langkah pengurangan pencemaran, keadaan ini berpotensi berpanjangan dan lebih buruk dalam tempoh terdekat.

Orang ramai dinasihatkan untuk mengikuti perkembangan semasa melalui saluran rasmi seperti laman web APIMS dan mematuhi nasihat pihak berkuasa dari semasa ke semasa.

BEIJING, July 17 — Days of record-breaking heat across large swathes of China pushed power demand to an all-time high in excess of 1.5 billion kilowatts on Wednesday, energy officials said, with temperatures forecast to feel like 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas on Thursday.

An arc of sweltering heat stretching from the densely populated city of Chongqing in the southwest to Guangzhou on the coasthas enveloped an area home to over 200 million people in recent days.

A subtropical high pressure system, which causes warm and dry weather, drove temperatures at eight weather stations in the northwest and southwest of China to record highs in the last two days, state media said on Thursday, citing national weather authorities.

“The power system is holding up so far,” said Chim Lee, a senior energy and climate change specialist at the Economist Intelligence Unit.

“But the real test will come as the summer wears on, and there are still risks of potential power rationing,” he added.

Solar energy accounted for half of June’s surge in power generation. Hydropower output nationwide was up on 2023, though still lower than the corresponding 2022 period, Lee said.

China’s National Energy Administration flagged a “record high” on Wednesday in the country’s electrical load for the third time this month.

That was an increase of 55 million kilowatts over last year’s maximum. Provincial records have also been broken 36 times since summer began in the world’s second-largest economy.

In some parts of the central provinces of Hubei and Hunan, which are the same size as Italy and Britain, respectively, apparent temperatures - a measure of how hot the combination of temperatures, humidity and wind make people feel - were forecast to reach as high as 50 C on Thursday.

Similar apparent temperatures were also expected in the southern provinces of Jiangxi and Guangdong - home to populations equivalent to those of Spain and Mexico.

Besides scorching croplands and eroding farm incomes, higher temperatures can affect manufacturing hubs and disrupt operations in key ports, straining overburdened healthcare.

But the scorching heat is also giving consumer spending a boost.

Sales of air conditioners and handheld fans have surged 112 per cent and 103 per cent month-on-month, respectively, according to Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com. The catering sector has also seen a notable rise in demand, as people seek out cool refreshments.

“It could improve consumer sentiment as it is helping sales of air conditioning, which is a big household appliance,” said Dan Wang, China director at Eurasia Group in Singapore. “And the services sector can expect to get a boost, as people escape the heat by going to watch a movie.”

‘Sanfu Season’

The heat is expected to persist.

China’s “Sanfu Season” — an agricultural marker believed to have been in use for over two millennia — typically begins in mid-July and lasts through late August, denoting the peak of summer.

It is forecast to run from Sunday to August 19 this year.

In response to the early high temperatures, state broadcaster CCTV last week spotlighted a tradition of people sleeping with wax gourds, vegetables considered effective in absorbing body heat.

Over the past decade, the southern province of Jiangxi has experienced an annual average of 21.7 days of temperatures above 28 C, up from five to seven at the turn of the century, state media added.

There is a chance of some respite, however.

Weather forecasters expect temperatures to begin easing from Monday, as a tropical depression east of the Philippines may strengthen into a tropical storm expected to be named Wipha, and track across Taiwan toward southern China.

However, the low-pressure system could be blocked from advancing north by the subtropical high, keeping air conditioners running at full tilt and further straining the power grid. — Reuters  

SEOSAN: Sekurang-kurangnya tiga terkorban dan lebih 1,000 penduduk terpaksa dipindahkan selepas hujan lebat mencetuskan banjir besar di Korea Selatan semalam.

Menurut data rasmi agensi kaji cuaca Korea Selatan, negara itu kini berada dalam musim hujan monsun bulan Julai, namun kali ini, tiga kawasan di wilayah South Chungcheong mencatat kadar hujan per jam yang luar biasa tinggi, antara yang paling ekstrem pernah direkodkan.

Kementerian Dalam Negeri dan Keselamatan mengesahkan, semua kematian berlaku di wilayah South Chungcheong.

Pegawai cuaca menyatakan, bahagian barat Seosan mencatatkan hujan setinggi 114.9 milimeter dalam satu jam, satu kadar luar biasa yang hanya berlaku sekali dalam 100 tahun, dengan kali terakhir direkodkan pada tahun 1904.

Fenomena cuaca ekstrem ini berpunca daripada aliran udara panas dan lembap yang berasal dari pinggir Sistem Tekanan Tinggi Lautan Pasifik Utara, yang mencetuskan ketidakstabilan atmosfera serius.