Bandar Seri Begawan - Haze continues to persist in Brunei Darussalam. According to the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation, Ministry of Development, the air quality yesterday was generally good to moderate in all four districts; Belait District had the highest PSI reading of 79.

PSI readings below 50 are considered good, while readings between 50 and 100 are moderate. When the PSI readings are above the 100-mark, the air quality is considered unhealthy.

According to the Brunei Meteorological Service, low level southwesterly wind flows were prevailing over the region due to the tropical depression located to the east of the Philippines.

With the current wind conditions, the haze will move towards the northwest of Borneo Island. The Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation is closely monitoring the situation.

The public will be informed of the air quality situation and the relevant advice periodically.

The public can also enquire about the air quality by contacting the department at 2383222 (extension 514) between lam and 10pm daily.

The public is reminded that conducting open burning is illegal.

Meanwhile, the haze in Sarawak is also getting worse with seven areas still recording unhealthy levels on the Air

Pollutant Index (API). The Department of Environment web site showed that Sarikei was the worst hit with an API reading of 196 at l1 am yesterday, up from, 175 on Monday.

The other areas with unhealthy API readings are Kuching (124), Sibu (160), Bintulu (117), Kapit (118), Sri Aman (155) and Petra Jaya (128). Three areas recorded API readings below 100, namely Miri (83), Limbang (65) and Samarahan (96). -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin