Could this be true? A year without smog in our lungs?
Contrary to popular belief, there are four seasons in Malaysia: super summer, super monsoon, durian and of course, everyone's favourite (not) season, haze.If a recent report is to be believed, we will do without one season this year - and we certainly hope it's not durian.
According to Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Malaysians can expect a haze-free year because of the La Nina phenomenon (the one with the rain).
Wan Junaidi told The Star Online that recent reports from the Malaysian Meteorological Department suggested that no cross border haze is expected in 2017, as the dreaded El Nino phenomenon (the one with the hot weather) will not happen in Malaysia this year.
Only one problem: the Met Department reports did not take into account the annual man-made forest fires, which our neighbour Indonesia is pretty famous for these days.
Back in 2015, illegal slash-and-burn practices taken by firms and farmers caused a haze disaster so severe, six Indonesian provinces declared a state of emergency due to the smog, with the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) hitting a record high of 1801 in Central Kalimantan.
The same haze blanketed neighbouring countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines, forcing schools around the region to close down for almost a week.
So yeah, we do not entirely believe in the whole 'no haze' thing.
Also, Wan Junaidi told the news portal that Malaysians can expect more floods this year due to the La Nina phenomenon.
The Met Department's reports on rain distribution revealed an unpredictable pattern with an unusually heavy downpour, which means that floods might happen a little more frequently this year.
Potential haze AND crazy floods? That's just absolutely fabulous!
