Haze, Haze, Go Away

I moved to KL from Muscat, Oman.  I loved living in Oman.  Do you know one of the things I miss most about Oman?  The cobalt blue skies that were so common. And right now, I really miss the blue skies!

So what is the hottest topic of conversation in KL right now?  It has got to be the HAZE!  

This is the cover photo at the top of my blog page.  I took this picture from my balcony last year.  I am not sure of the month, but I am guessing October or November.

I took this photo almost exactly a year ago.  The last time we had bad haze.  I was going to do a blog post about it, but I wasn't sure it was interesting enough.  

This was taken yesterday.  There is a city skyline somewhere beyond the haze.  Yesterday was the worst day of haze I have experienced.  I spent some time outside and ended up with a scratchy throat, irritated eyes, and a headache.  And on top of all that, the haze smells of fire and smoke.

So where does the haze come from?  Well, from fire, and smoke.  It is common practice to burn fields in places like Sumatra and Indonesia.  But it also does happen in Malaysia.  It has been a big problem for a while.
It's all over the news, like HERE and HERE.

This is a satellite photo showing fires (in red) producing smoke that is making its way to Malaysia.

I found this picture on my friend Andreina's Facebook page.  How appropriate!

There is an Air Pollution Index (API).  1-50 is good, 51-100  moderate, 101-200 unhealthy, and 201-300 very unhealthy, and 300-500+ hazardous.  (Thanks, Krystal, for the info!)  Today's reading was just over 200, at which point all schools must shut down.  My kids had a haze day!  They have missed school in the past due to excessive heat, extreme cold, snow, ice, and flooding, but never haze.

There is an end in sight.  This is a seasonal thing.  We just hope it's soon!

P.S.  My husband is in Australia and this is the picture he sent me today.  :/