No ‘hazardous’ areas but Sarawak remains worst hit by haze

 As at 4pm, several areas in the peninsula were reported to have 'unhealthy' air quality, especially in the Klang Valley and Pahang.

The APIMS portal recorded a ‘very unhealthy’ API reading in Sri Aman, Sarawak and ‘unhealthy’ readings in 35 other areas nationwide. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

There is no area in the country with a “hazardous” air pollutant index (API) reading, due to the haze, as of 4pm today, according to the Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS) portal.

The highest API reading was recorded in Sri Aman in Sarawak with 216, or “very unhealthy”, Bernama reported.

The APIMS portal reported unhealthy API readings in 35 other areas nationwide, moderate readings in 27 areas and good readings in four areas.

Sarawak remained the worst-hit state, with 11 areas recording unhealthy air quality, namely Samalaju (196), Samarahan (196), Kuching (191), Bintulu (190), Mukah (188), Sarikei (185), IPD Serian (182), ILP Miri (176), Sibu (174), Miri (170) and Limbang (157).

Kapit was the only station in the state to record a moderate API reading, at 90.

Meanwhile, six areas in Selangor – Johan Setia (181), Shah Alam (168), Kuala Selangor (158), Petaling Jaya (157), Klang (156) and Banting (155) – as well as Batu Muda (164) and Cheras (162) in Kuala Lumpur; Putrajaya (162) and Labuan (157), also recorded unhealthy API readings.

Other areas with unhealthy API readings include Jerantut (168) and Temerloh (161) in Pahang; Nilai (167), Seremban (164) and Port Dickson (121) in Negeri Sembilan; Kota Kinabalu (157) and Kimanis (151) in Sabah; as well as Tanjung Malim (153) in Perak.

In the southern region, unhealthy air quality was also recorded in Segamat (159), Tangkak (151), Batu Pahat (127) and Kluang (103) in Johor; as well as Alor Gajah (154) and Bukit Rambai (154) in Melaka.

Meanwhile, in Selangor, the state disaster management committee is ready to distribute face masks to the public and civil servants to cope with the ongoing haze situation.

State public health and environment committee chairman Jamaliah Jamaluddin said the distribution would focus on areas recording the highest Air Pollutant Index (API) readings in Selangor, particularly targeting vulnerable groups, Bernama reported.

She also advised the public, especially high-risk groups such as senior citizens and individuals with heart or respiratory conditions, to limit physical and outdoor activities when API readings reach unhealthy levels.

An API reading of 0 to 50 indicates good air quality; 51 to 100 moderate; 101 to 200 unhealthy; 201 to 300 very unhealthy; and 300 and above hazardous. - FMT