HAZE PHENOMENON

Every single year, Malaysia and its neighborhood countries such as Philippines, Singapore, Brunei and Thailand faces one very hazardous disaster, HAZE.

What is haze?
Haze is caused by tiny particulates suspended in the atmosphere. at high concentrations, these particulates will scatter and absorb sunlight resulting in diminished horizontal visibility. Therefore, it gives the atmosphere a characteristic a cloudy and vaporous appearance.

Haze is not restricted to urban areas only, it can also be seen in rural areas as well. The speck that causes haze is derive from many sources, some are natural, some are anthropocentric. Natural sources include the oceans, forests and ground surface. But the majority of the speck are caused by human activities such as open burning, land clearing, use of vehicles and combustion of fossil fuels in industrial boilers.












Many countries uses PSI Level to measure the air pollution.The Pollutant Standards Index, or PSI, is a type of air quality index, which is a number used to provide the public with an easily understandable indicator of how polluted the air is. Initially PSI was based on five air pollutants, but since 1 April 2014 it has also included fine particulate matter (PM2 . 5).

Is haze harmful to human?
Haze that are originated from natural sources such as sea salt and soil dust is generally harmless to humans. Slight, transient haze visible in most towns and cities has not been proven to cause any serious long-term health effects on the population.However,during a severe haze episode, prolonged exposure to high concentrations of particulates can be harmful to health. Associated with previous haze episodes, there have been reports of increases in incidences of eye and throat irritations and respiratory difficulties among sensitive groups.During a haze episode,the public are strongly urged to follow the advice issued by the local health authorities.

How can we reduce the haze?

First of all, we should refrain from open burning of waste. Most incidences of local haze can be traced to this activity. Motor vehicles, due to their increasing numbers, are also major sources of haze particulates in urban areas. To reduce haze, vehicles should be well maintained. Choose fuels which are the least polluting. Large scale land clearing which exposes large tracts of barren land, not only results in soil erosion and degradation, but also provides a source of particulates to the atmosphere. Promoting efforts such as rapid replanting and staggered land clearing can reduce haze.











The public is also advises to wear mask, specifically N95 mask. This is because the usual mask that people nowadays always wear when haze occurred is surgical mask. The N95 mask is designed to filter small haze particle in range of 2 . 5 micron which is smaller than the human's hair diameter.

























The government should also established the cloud seeding method. It is a form of weather modification, is the attempt to change the amount or type of precipitation that falls from clouds, by dispersing substances into the air that serve as cloud condensation or ice nuclei, which alter the micro-physical processes within the cloud. It is always used whenever a country experience haze at a very dangerous and concerning level.

With the cooperation of everyone around, we can help reduce the haze and help design better paths of living for the sake of our future generations.

Name:Nur Syafiqah Bt. Kasim
ID Number:PTM150718613