SO used are Malaysians to the haze, that the annual hazard is now viewed as œseasonal. Not too unlike the reception to winter in the temperate zone, where it is anticipated with its influenza, coughs and colds, the haze is coped ” though not tolerated ” with respiratory problems and all. It is no longer a headline-catching event, where newspapers would blare out yesterdays air pollution index. Instead, it is felt and seen, and for some, the morning grey is mistaken for mist. Meanwhile, those who start wheezing a little, coughing a little, feel their eyes itch and some tightness in the chest know that it is the haze, and the time has come to avoid the outdoors as much as possible. To cut to the chase, the haze has become an unpleasant annual phenomenon, but tolerated because, for the most part, the majority comes out seemingly unscathed, although the real effects may not manifest until further in the future.
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