Air quality deteriorated across large parts of Peninsular Malaysia on the morning of Sept 15, with the Klang Valley among the hardest hit as numerous locations recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings.
As of 10.35am, Serian in Sarawak remained the country’s most polluted location with an API reading of 188, putting it firmly in the unhealthy category and edging closer to the “very unhealthy” threshold of 201.
In Peninsular Malaysia, Johan Setia in Selangor recorded the highest API at 182, followed by Cheras in Kuala Lumpur and Pasir Gudang in Johor at 172 and 170 each, while Nilai in Negeri Sembilan and Tangkak in Johor registered 169.
The Klang Valley was widely blanketed by unhealthy air, with Putrajaya recording 167, Batu Muda 163, Petaling Jaya and Klang 161 each, and Banting and Kuala Selangor at 157 each.
Kedah, Penang, Perak, Terengganu and Sarawak recorded a mixture of moderate and unhealthy air quality across their monitoring stations, while conditions were comparatively better in Sabah, Kelantan and Perlis, where readings remained in the moderate range.
The latest figures point to a further spread of unhealthy conditions from Sept 14, when 22 areas nationwide were already recording API levels above 100 by 4pm. At that time, Serian topped the readings at 181, while Johan Setia stood at 161 and Cheras at 156.
According to the Department of Environment’s Air Pollutant Index Management System, an API reading of zero to 50 is classified as good, 51 to 100 moderate, 101 to 200 unhealthy, 201 to 300 very unhealthy, and above 300 hazardous.
