Re crude being turned away...could this be why?
by the way,good luck on your new thread.
Ports close as Malaysia chokes on smog cloud
By Sebastien Berger, South East Asia Correspondent
(Filed: 11/08/2005)
Much of Malaysia was blanketed by haze yesterday as it choked on its worst pollution crisis in almost a decade.
Schools, ports and Kuala Lumpur's second airport closed as visibility was reduced to 100 yards in places.
The smog in Kuala Lumpur is so bad children have to wear masks
For the first time in six years the government released air pollution index statistics. Until now they have been regarded as a state secret, for fear of scaring away tourists.
Anything above 300 is regarded as hazardous.
Kuala Selangor, north of the capital, recorded a figure of 327. Shah Alam, to the west of Kuala Lumpur, scored 316.
Port Klang, a major shipping centre where one vessel ran aground in the murk, was at 410.
An emergency will be declared if the index reaches 500.
Adenan Satem, the environment minister, said: "The situation is not getting better, it is getting worse."
Forest fires, many of them started by slash-and-burn farmers on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, are being blamed for the smog, which is likely to persist until the monsoon arrives in October.
The landmark Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the world's second-tallest building, were shrouded from view, while in the streets people wore masks or held handkerchiefs to their faces.
Visibility in the Malacca Strait, one of the world's most important waterways, was down to about half a mile in places. Subang, the capital's second airport, shut for five hours when visibility fell below 300 yards.
Schools in two heavily affected towns near Kuala Lumpur were ordered to close for the rest of the week.
Chua Soi Lek, the health minister, said: "We want people to cut down on outdoor activities. They must wear masks when outdoors."
Malaysia is to send a delegation to Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, for crisis talks on tackling the fires but local environmentalists say that unreported blazes along with the country's own pollution, may also be responsible. |
