Bring out your face masks, boys and girls.
In just a couple of weeks, you will regret the day you took clean air for granted.According to a report by Bernama, the dreaded haze season is back as several states in Malaysia have already recorded moderate Air Pollutant Index (API) readings as of Wednesday.
The state that was affected the most was Perak, as four cities in the state recorded the highest API readings to date: Pegoh Ipoh (84), Taiping (83), Tasek Ipoh (74) and Seri Manjung (71).
The other state that was also badly affected is Sarawak, with three areas recording moderate API readings, namely Mukah (83), Sibu (74) and Bintulu (71).
Penang, Kedah, Perlis, Negeri Sembilan and Selangor were also assaulted by the haze, but the readings in those areas - between 55 and 65 - are slightly lower than Perak and Sarawak.
This time around, the haze was reportedly caused by the rising number of hotspots in Kalimantan and open burning, especially in Sarawak.
Authorities in the state reportedly detected more than 400 hotspots in West Kalimantan near the Malaysia-Indonesia border.
Further adding fuel to fire (pun unintended) is the lack of rainfall and the obscenely hot and dry weather.
Be prepared, boys and girls, this could just be the start.