By Nadhira Maizam
GOMBAK, 18 September 2019: The unhealthy levels of Air Pollution Index (API) readings across many parts in Selangor, including Gombak, have been constantly injecting worries amongst the students of International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) as it carries deleterious effects on health.
The worrying level of air quality does not seem to improve even after a week of commencement of the long semester 1, 2019/2020 session.
Co-chairperson of Academic and Intellectual Secretariat of IIUM Students’ Representative Council (SRC), Idayu Mumtaz Iskandar, in one of her tweets on Twitter expressed her major concern about the haze issue. She said, “Industries should stop being selfish blazing forests! I was inside an air-conditioned car and I could still “taste” the haze.”
“The Grab driver joked that haze has become a seasonal thing. I miss breathing in fresh air already and seeing the stars at night,” she wrote.
She also went to remind the students to drink plenty of water and get a mask if needed as the haze is getting more visible.
Asked to comment on the haze issue in IIUM campus, Rifqi Zaiyanni, a student from Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences (KIRKHS), suggested the university to provide the N95 face mask instead of the surgical mask so as to provide an effective protection and filtration of fine haze particles for the students.
He added, “More accessible water dispenser should be made available for the students to ensure that they stay hydrated especially during this extremely unhealthy state.”
It is also advisable for all students and IIUM community members to stay indoors during the haze or exercise preventive steps while carrying out outdoor activities.
For more information, people can get updates on the latest API readings from http://apims.doe.gov.my/. ***