The haze is back. Even the rains don't clear the air. The view of the skyline is blurred. Tall buildings are dimly visible through a smoky blue haze. The distant mountains have disappeared, lost in a strange blue cloud that hangs everywhere in the air.

Airline pilots report that the haze is near to the ground. It is like a thick brown blanket covering the earth. Above 500 meters, the air is clear and clean again. But the air near the ground is decidedly dirty, and even a good rain does not clean it. What is wrong?

Whatever the cause may be, everyone takes it to be temporary. Everyone expects it to go away soon. Maybe tomorrow, or the next day, or even next week. But surely it will go away. Then everything will be fine again. The pain in the chest will go away. The burning of the eyes, the dull ache in the chest, the headaches, they will all go away soon. A good wind, that is what we need, and a long heavy rain. That should clear the air. That is what everyone hopes.

The government abolished the Air Pollution Index a few years ago. The reason given was that it might have a negative effect on tourism. If a tourist found out what the air was like, a different destination might be chosen. So the decision made by the Environment Ministry was to hide the API measurements.

So they hid the API readings from the tourists, and also hid them from the citizens. The traveling public cannot be trusted to know. Malaysian citizens must not know. If people knew, they might make decisions adverse to optimistic government projections. The tourist and the citizen cannot be informed as to the quality of the air they breathe. Only the government can know. So the Air Pollution Index is not provided, although it is a gauge that provides an indication of how serious the situation has become in the last few years.

The API figures are no doubt still available, kept somewhere as an official secret. They should be put on an Official Secrets webpage as a public service. The API readings would still be an official secret, of course, but more people would be in on it. Until then, perhaps it is safe to assume there is a good reason the API readings are not published. A good guess as to the reason API readings are kept secret is they are often in the 'dangerous' or 'unhealthy' range.

It isn't necessary to wait for the Environment Ministry to mature. A handy scale is readily made, one that is portable and available anytime during daylight hours. The scale provides a rough estimate, based on apparent evidence such as smoke, particles, dust, and the observed reduction in visibility. It is a serviceable guide, giving a useful indication of pollution in the air.

The readings are: (1) CLEAR (you can see the mountains clearly), (2) SLIGHT (the mountains are visible, but obscured) (3) MODERATE (The mountains are barely visible, and only the outlines can be seen), (4) HEAVY (the mountains are invisible, and downtown buildings are blurred), and (5) SEVERE (downtown buildings are barely visible at a distance), and (6) EXTREME (obvious smoke and haze that makes breathing difficult, downtown buildings are invisible at a distance). Using this scale, it is possible to estimate the amount of pollution in the air, and how safe it is to venture out.

Since the haze has been a daily feature for several months, perhaps it is not too early to address the possibility the haze is a permanent phenomenon. However unrealistic this may seem, it must be admitted that the trend is in that direction. Even if the assumption of permanence is premature, a projection of the consequences can still be made. Though the haze is considered temporary today, it might be a permanent feature tomorrow, so such a projection eventually will be useful.

If the haze continues, and the health problems it causes continue, those areas where the haze is worst will be less desirable, both for residential and commercial purposes. People who have interests in real estate should consider the consequences of unhealthy air on the desirability of owning a commercial building or residence in bad air zones. While the market is probably not appreciably affected yet, if the situation continues until there is widespread alarm, especially regarding long term health consequences, the real estate market will weaken.

The health effects will vary with the individual, some being more severely stressed than others. Thus there is likely to be a slow awakening. As awareness grows, that the problem is a permanent one (as opposed to a temporary one), and will be alleviated only slightly by irregular rains and wind, the expected price erosion will surely accelerate. At first, not many will act immediately on the knowledge. With time, however, more people will prefer to relocate rather than continue to endure an unnecessary hazard. More severely affected people will move away first (if they can), the more resilient ones moving later, if at all.

People will be able to live and work in the haze for awhile, especially if it does not deteriorate appreciably, so there is time to make adjustments in investments, lifestyle or career. Opportunities in healthy areas will slowly decline as people opt for locations with clean air. Those who have a busines or career interest in the tourist industry (transportation, hotels, restaurants, travel agencies) should prepare for an eventual decline, as tourism is certain to be affected negatively as the situation receives more attention. Recruitment and replacement of skilled and well-educated workers will become increasingly difficult. The rate of change will increase as the level of haze increases.

Malaysia, where tourism is the second highest source of foreign exchange, is particularly vulnerable. The government may hide the API, but the haze and health problems cannot be hidden. The Health Ministry has done nothing to make the public aware of the danger, and this is unfortunate. The attempt by the government to deceive the tourists by concealing the problem is certain to generate resentment, and the word will spread that Malaysia is a place to avoid, not only for its unhealthful air, but also for the deceptive practices of its government.