A whiff of fresh air

THERE are still some areas that boast of cleaner air during the recovery movement control order (MCO).

This is despite the increase in traffic and business operations during the recovery MCO that started on June 10.

Kimanis in Sabah is the area with the biggest improvement in air quality compared to March.

This is followed by Kota Kinabalu in Sabah and Limbang in Sarawak.

Such are the results of an analysis on the air pollutant index (API) readings from the Department of Environment’s website by Sunday Star.A comparison was made between the first phase of the MCO from March 17 to 27 and during the recovery MCO period from June 17 to 27.

Kimanis, a town located 45km from Kota Kinabalu, recorded a 75.5% drop in air pollutants.

From an average API reading of 58.3 in March, the air quality improved to a reading of 14.3 in June.

In the API readings, smaller numbers indicate better air quality.

Good air quality is between 0 to 50 in the API, while moderate levels are between 51 and 100. Unhealthy readings are between 101 and 200, very unhealthy is from 201 to 300 and hazardous levels are above 300.

Meanwhile, the place with the biggest drop in air quality between the two periods is Kota Tinggi in Johor.

The historical town, which is also known for its waterfalls and beaches like Desaru, had a 26% spike in air pollutants.

Nevertheless, its average API reading between June 17 and 27 is 36.2, which is still within the “good” category in air quality.