Unabating haze: Almost half of Malaysia registers ‘unhealthy’ air quality

Almost half of all recording stations across the country has recorded poor air quality, according to the Department of Environment's tracking of the Air Pollutant Index (API).

As of 8am today, 30 stations across the country recorded "unhealthy" API readings while three more recorded "very unhealthy" readings. There is a total of 68 stations nationwide.

Thirty-five more stations recorded moderate readings. There were no stations that recorded good air quality.

An API of 0-50 represents good air quality, 51-100 is moderate, 101-200 is unhealthy, 201-300 is very unhealthy, while 300 and above is hazardous.

In Peninsular Malaysia, all monitoring stations in the Klang Valley, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang recorded unhealthy air quality.

Particularly bad are Tangkak (in Johor) and Johan Setia (in Selangor), where both recorded an API or 204 which is very unhealthy.

All monitoring stations in the Klang Valley are also recording unhealthy air quality with API readings of more than 150, with some inching nearer to the very unhealthy level.

Only the southern tip of Johor, northern parts from Taiping onwards, Terengganu and Kelantan have slightly better air quality, at moderate.

Sabah also hit

In East Malaysia, where seven of the 33 monitoring stations showing poor air quality are located, the most severe is in Kuching with a very unhealthy API reading of 205.

Sabah, which has largely been spared from the haze in recent weeks, is also seeing deteriorating air quality with Tawau having dipped into the unhealthy region with an API of 118.

This comes as the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) showing intensified hotspots in Kalimantan, Indonesia.

According to the ASMC, as of yesterday, there were 627 hot spots in Kalimantan and 55 in Sumatra, 10 in Sabah and Sarawak and one in Peninsular Malaysia.

ASMC’s tracking has shown that the haze in Peninsular Malaysia is coming from Sumatra while the haze in Sabah and Sarawak is coming from Kalimantan.

- Mkini