Bad air quality in more areas nationwide except Miri

A town centre in Petaling Jaya enveloped in smoke yesterday. Hazy condition continues today, with 21 areas nationwide recording unhealthy air quality readings. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Afif Abd Halim, October 20, 2015.

More parts of the country were wrapped in smoke this morning as more areas recorded unhealthy air quality readings compared to yesterday.

Schools across seven states remained close for the second day in a row over concerns of the effects of the pollution.

The worst hit area this morning was Port Klang, which recorded 173 on the air pollutant index (API) at 8am, while the reading in surrounding areas Shah Alam and Batu Muda were 157 and 151 respectively.

Other areas with unhealthy API readings include Petaling Jaya (143), Banting (138), Kuala Selangor (136), Tanjung Malim (136), Putrajaya (132),  Cheras (124), Tawau (124), Seremban (121), S K Jalan Pegoh (115), Nilai (114), Seri Manjung (112), Jalan Tasek, Ipoh (111), Bukit Rambai (111),

Jerantut (108), Port Dickson (107), Bakar Arang, Sungai Petani (106), Kuala Terengganu (104) and Kemaman (103).

The reading is moderate in ll other areas except for Miri in Sarawak, which recorded good air quality.

An API reading of between 101 and 200 is considered unhealthy while a reading under 50 is good, and moderate between 51 and 100. An API reading from 201 to 300 is very unhealthy, and hazardous above 300.

The Education Ministry ordered schools in seven states to remain closed today after the air quality showed only minor improvements.

Schools in Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Putrajaya, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Tawau, Samarahan and Kuching were shut on Monday due to unhealthy air recorded in those areas.

The ministry said in a statement that apart from the schools mentioned, those in Lahad Datu, Semporna and Kunak in Sabah, and Muar, Ledang and Segamat in Johor, have also been instructed to close today.

The closure affects 1.9 million students in 3,029 schools.

Schools had been ordered to close several times last month and earlier this month, following forest fires and the burning of plantation land in Indonesia.

On October 5 and 6, some 7,000 schools were closed after the API showed hazardous air in Shah Alam and unhealthy air in other parts of the country.

Indonesian scientists yesterday said forest fires caused by land clearing were expanding to new areas and the smoke problem could last till January next year.

- TMI