“Malaysia Air Quality ‘Unhealthy’ as Haze Obscures Skies”, 29 July 2014

Air quality around Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur and on Borneo island was “unhealthy”…with one town reaching “very unhealthy” levels as haze, mostly from forest fires in Indonesia, obscured skies…Nine out of some 50 measuring stations recorded air pollutant index readings above 100, which signify “unhealthy” air quality. Readings in Sibu town in Sarawak state on Borneo breached 200 — designated as “very unhealthy”…Haze is an annual problem during drier summer months when monsoon winds blow smoke from fires mostly on the huge Indonesian island of Sumatra…The fires have been largely blamed on palm oil firms using the illegal but cheap method of burning vast tracts of rainforest and peatland to clear them for planting…