(Sept 15): As air quality continues to deteriorate, the Meteorological Department said it will begin cloud-seeding operations in badly hit areas, The Star reports.

The exercise, a joint effort with the National Security Council and the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), will begin by noon, said the department's atmospheric science and cloud seeding division director Maznorizan Mohamad.

"It will depend on the availability of clouds. If it is favourable, we can start," she told the daily.

Masnorizan said that an aircraft will be based each in Kuching and Subang, adding that each flight would cost RM30,000 and RM40,000.

She said cloud conditions over the past few days had not been ideal, with air pollutant index (API) reaching unhealthy levels in 33 areas nationwide early this morning.

Banting (Selangor) and  Batu Muda (Kuala Lumpur) recorded the worst air quality, both registering an API of 188, and SK Jalan Pegoh, Ipoh (Perak) with a reading of 187.

An API in the 0-50 range is good, 51-100 is moderate, 100-200 is unhealthy, 200 to 300 very unhealthy; and above 300, hazardous.

Meanwhile, the report quoted Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar as saying that two hotspots were detected in Sarawak, three in Sumatra and 407 in Kalimantan, based on satellite images obtained on Sunday.

He said the real number of hotspots was unknown, adding that he would meet Indonesian officials on Sept 25 to offer Malaysia's assistance to put out forest fires there.

"The smoke from hotspots in central and west Kalimantan is expected to travel to west Sarawak in the next 48 to 72 hours," he was quoted as saying.

The report also said the Health Ministry will distribute face masks to high-risk patients in severely affected states, especially to children, the elderly, the pregnant and those with heart and respiratory problems.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah was reported as saying that face masks will be distributed in Johor, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Selangor, Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak.

"The face masks will be distributed through government hospitals and clinics in those states. The ministry will continue to monitor the haze levels and will distribute the face masks to other states should the situation require it," he said. – The Malaysian Insider