Malaysia to use cloud seeding to 'manufacture' rain as air quality deteriorates
Indonesia air quality
Malaysia is gearing up to combat deteriorating air quality by attempting to 'make it rain' through cloud seeding.
The country, as per its Department of Environment,has been facing the recurring threat of air pollution, due to which it is even considering school closures.
What is causing the drop in air quality?
According to Reuters, the deteriorating air quality is caused by forest fires, primarily from land clearing activities for palm oil and pulp and paper plantations in neighbouring Indonesia.
Last week, Kuala Lumpur blamed fires in Indonesia for the pollution. The neighbouring nation, however, denied any smoke crossing its borders into Malaysia.
The Malaysian department earlier had said that a regional meteorological agency identified nearly 250 "hotspots," that were indicative of fires on Sumatra and Borneo islands in Indonesia. However, none were detected within Malaysia.
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Burning throat and other health risks
Almost every dry season, thick smoke blankets the skies over the region, posing health risks and concerns for the tourism and aviation industries.
Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar, director of the Department of Environment in Malaysia recently, in a statement, reported a decline in air quality, particularly in the western part of Peninsular Malaysia. He said that in total, 11 areas recorded unhealthy Air Pollution Index (API) readings.
To alleviate the situation, the nation will use methods, including cloud seeding and other measures to combat pollution. These methods will be initiated when API readings exceed 150 for more than 24 hours, announced Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar.
Furthermore, schools and kindergartens will be required to stop all outdoor activities when API readings reach 100. They will be closed when the API reaches 200.
Environmental organisation Greenpeace has called on countries in the region to enact legislation to hold plantation companies accountable for causing air pollution.
Heng Kiah Chun, regional campaign strategist for Greenpeace Southeast Asia, emphasised the need for a domestic transboundary haze act and said that enabling it "is necessary to act as a deterrent, especially as there are bad apples in the industry."
(With inputs from agencies)
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