KUCHING (Sept 3): The haze has driven up demand for bottled water and health-related products at supermarkets here, with some retailers increasing their stock levels to meet customer needs.

At Farley Kuching, drinks department supervisor Nelson Ting, 23, said bottled water was selling faster than usual since the haze began.

“So far, I have noticed that the stock is moving quickly. We restock bottled water twice a week, as we normally do, but the quantity has increased due to the haze.

“For example, on normal days, the first delivery may consist of 50 cartons and the second 30 cartons. During the haze, we may receive 50 cartons for both deliveries,” he told The Borneo Post.

Despite the increase in demand, Ting said the supermarket had not experienced any shortage of bottled water so far.

“Farley still has sufficient stock and there is no problem with the supply. We have increased the quantity compared with normal months, especially for August and September.

“The price also remains the same. There has been no price increase because of the haze,” he added.

He said customers were also showing greater interest in beverages believed to have cooling properties.

“This includes coconut water from brands like ‘Yeos’, cooling water (also well known as Cap Kaki Tiga), coconut juice, and Wang Lao Ji, a canned Chinese herbal tea.

“We have placed these drinks in areas where customers can easily see them. Some customers come in and ask: ‘Now that there is haze, I want to find drinks that can help with the heat in my body’,” he said.

Apart from beverages, Ting said demand had also increased for certain health and protective products.

“The products that customers frequently look for during the haze include medicine and face masks. For medicine, it is Panadol. Customers also try to find fruits such as watermelons,” he said.

He also advised members of the public to take precautions and prioritise their health during the haze.

“We cannot do much about the haze itself, so we can only take care of ourselves and our health. Drink plenty of water, including plain water, and wear a mask.”

Meanwhile, Emart Batu Kawa branch division head of grocery Danny Lau Yu Chai, 45, said the supermarket had also recorded an increase in demand for bottled drinking water.

“We have noticed an increase in demand for bottled water and signs of low stock. Bottled water supplies are also being restocked between two and three times a week.

“There is no effect on the price, but the supply will be affected,” he said.

He shared that the supermarket expected its current stock to be sufficient for this month.

“Currently the stock is sufficient for September but if the prolonged dry conditions of El Nino continues and peaks in coming December, there is a great risk of a shortage of drinking water from the end of October onwards until December this year,” he said.

Lau also said the supermarket had recorded strong demand for health and protective products besides bottled water.

“We have great demand for face masks, vitamin C gummies, cough drops, Panadol and Cool Fever products. There is also an increase in demand for fruits like pears, oranges and watermelons, which the customers see as beneficial due to their vitamin C content,” he explained.

According to the Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) Sarawak’s Daily Haze Watch, four stations recorded hazardous Air Pollutant Index (API) readings at 4pm yesterday, including Kuching (309).

KUCHING (Sept 3): The Sarawak government should take a more proactive role in addressing the transboundary haze instead of relying solely on the federal government to engage Indonesia, said Democratic Action Party Socialist Youth (Dapsy) Stampin branch chief Sylvester Lim Kai Bin.

Lim acknowledged that formal diplomatic engagement with Indonesia falls under federal jurisdiction, but this should not prevent Sarawak from communicating directly with authorities in neighbouring Kalimantan on matters affecting Sarawakians.

“The haze is coming from Indonesia, but it is Sarawakians who are breathing the polluted air. What matters now is not whether this falls under federal or state jurisdiction, but who is prepared to act and solve the problem,” he said in a statement.

He was responding to Deputy Premier Douglas Uggah’s remarks that while the Sarawak government had been actively addressing the haze, engagement with Indonesia had to be handled through the federal government.

Lim said Sarawak could engage Indonesian provincial authorities to exchange information on hotspots and haze conditions, convey its impact on Sarawakians and strengthen cross-border coordination, while leaving formal diplomatic negotiations to Putrajaya.

“If the Sarawak Premier can travel around the world and engage foreign leaders, governments and international organisations, why can’t the Sarawak government proactively communicate with the authorities in neighbouring Kalimantan over a cross-border problem directly affecting our people?” he said.

He also called on Gabungan Parti Sarawak’s (GPS) representatives in the federal Cabinet, including a Deputy Prime Minister, to push for urgent engagement with Jakarta, saying sate and federal efforts could take place simultaneously.

Citing Sarawak’s longstanding push for greater autonomy, Lim said the state should demonstrate similar initiative in addressing issues that directly affect the people.

“You cannot demand greater autonomy when seeking power, but invoke federal jurisdiction when responsibility needs to be taken,” he said.

“The haze does not recognise federal or state jurisdiction. Sarawakians want action, not excuses. If the Sarawak government is unwilling even to proactively engage neighbouring Kalimantan, then where is the autonomy it so often speaks about?” he added.

KUALA LUMPUR: Empat kawasan di Sarawak merekodkan indeks pencemaran udara (IPU) pada tahap bahaya dengan bacaan IPU melebihi 200 setakat jam 8 pagi tadi.

Semakan menerusi laman sesawang Sistem Indeks Pencemaran Udara (APIMS), Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS) mendapati, Sri Aman mencatatkan IPU tertinggi dengan bacaan 298, diikuti Kuching (276), Samarahan (257) dan Sarikei (227).

Sebanyak 15 lokasi merekodkan bacaan IPU tidak sihat di Sarawak, Sabah, Labuan dan Selangor.

Sarawak mencatatkan bacaan IPU tidak sihat di lapan lokasi iaitu Sibu (191), Bintulu (176), Kapit (176), Mukah (172), Samalaju (167), Limbang (155), ILP Miri (153) dan Miri (134).

Di Sabah, bacaan IPU tidak sihat direkodkan bagi kawasan Politeknik Kota Kinabalu (166), diikuti Kimanis (165), Keningau (165) dan Kota Kinabalu (164).

Labuan juga mencatatkan bacaan IPU tidak sihat 162, manakala Johan Setia merekodkan bacaan 112.

Sementara itu, 45 kawasan di seluruh negara dilaporkan berada pada tahap sederhana dan tiga kawasan mencatatkan bacaan baik.

Sebelum ini, media melaporkan operasi pembenihan awan sedang dilaksanakan di kawasan dilanda jerebu terutama yang merekodkan bacaan IPU melebihi 150, selain kawasan empangan yang menunjukkan penyusutan paras air.

Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, dilaporkan berkata operasi itu dilaksanakan menerusi kerjasama Jabatan Meteorologi Malaysia (METMalaysia) dan Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia (TUDM).

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 3 — Mercy Malaysia has deployed a humanitarian team to Nepal to assess urgent needs following the catastrophic flash flood that struck the Bhote Koshi river system on Aug 26, with the team set to focus on search and rescue, emergency shelter, food, clean water and sanitation as millions of tonnes of debris hamper access to affected communities.

The disaster, triggered by an ice-and-rock avalanche and glacial collapse in the Himalayan region, sent a powerful surge of water, mud and debris through the Bhote Koshi and downstream river systems, severely affecting communities and critical infrastructure in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Chitwan and other downstream districts.