Air Quality Worsens Across Malaysia As 21 Areas Record Unhealthy Levels
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Air quality throughout Malaysia took a turn for the worse on Tuesday morning, with 21 areas recording unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) levels as of 8am
The figure represents a noticeable deterioration from the 11 locations recorded at 4pm on Monday, according to data managed by the Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS).
Here are the states that are affected:
Johor emerged as the worst-hit state in the latest haze wave, accounting for eight of the unhealthy locations.
Batu Pahat topped the national index with an API reading of 188, closely followed by Kluang and Segamat, which both registered 166. Other affected Johor districts included Larkin (166), Pasir Gudang (165), Tangkak (164), Kota Tinggi (155), and Pengerang (154).
In Negeri Sembilan, Nilai and Seremban recorded unhealthy figures of 161 and 157, respectively.
Similar conditions were observed in Bandaraya Melaka (155), Putrajaya (152), and Pahang districts such as Balok Baru Kuantan (153) and Rompin (152).
Further unhealthy API figures were logged in Indera Mahkota Kuantan (142), Cheras in Kuala Lumpur (140), Kemaman in Terengganu (134), Batu Muda in Kuala Lumpur (120), Bukit Rambai in Melaka (115), Paka in Terengganu (111), and Jerantut in Pahang (102).
In contrast, several locations that previously registered unhealthy air quality showed slight improvements
IPD Serian in Sarawak and Johan Setia in Selangor — both of which sat in the unhealthy tier on Monday afternoon — eased into the upper moderate band, dropping to a matching reading of 98.
Across the country, 41 monitoring stations recorded moderate air quality levels on Tuesday morning, down from 55 areas recorded the previous afternoon. Elevated moderate readings were observed in Alor Gajah (100), Kuching (94), Tawau (93), Petaling Jaya (91), Shah Alam (91), Banting (91), Samalaju (90), and Port Dickson (88).
Only five monitoring stations nationwide reported clean air in the "Good" range: Minden in Penang (45), Kota Kinabalu in Sabah (44), Kangar in Perlis (35), Langkawi in Kedah (29), and Balik Pulau in Penang (23).
Under national air quality classifications, API values from 0 to 50 represent good air quality, 51 to 100 represent moderate levels, 101 to 200 denote unhealthy conditions, 201 to 300 indicate very unhealthy air, and any score exceeding 300 triggers a hazardous rating
Environmental authorities continuously track data across 68 automated air monitoring stations nationwide.
