Suffocating sight: A man capturing a hazy view of the Kuala Lumpur skyline, seen from Taman Duta. — RAJA FAISAL HISHAN/The Star
PETALING JAYA: The Air Pollutant Index (API) for Petaling Jaya has improved to a moderate level (69) as of 3.30pm yesterday after reaching an unhealthy level (165) on Wednesday.
On July 2, the API reading for Petaling Jaya was between 162 and 165 in Petaling Jaya from morning until evening. API readings between 101 to 200 are considered unhealthy.
Only Johan Setia in Klang recorded an API as high as 104 on Wednesday morning, while other stations in Selangor recorded API between 66 and 99.
According to the Environment Department Air Pollutant Index Management System, there were no unhealthy levels reported in their 68 stations yesterday.
A total of 28 API stations had good air quality, while 40 stations had moderate levels.
The API readings for Kuala Lumpur were also moderate between 77 and 85 as of 3.30pm.
Sarawak’s air quality was overall good, while in Sabah, for Kota Kinabalu and Keningau, the API were in the 50s range.
In May, the Malaysian Meteorological Department director-general Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said the southwest monsoon is from May 10 until September.
This is marked by winds blowing consistently from the southwest across the country.
During the southwest monsoon, lower humidity levels typically lead to reduced rain cloud formation across most areas.
As a result, the country will experience reduced rainfall during this period, with more dry days than rainy ones, he said.
However, he added that heavy rain, strong winds and thunderstorms may still occur in the western parts of the peninsula, northern Sarawak and the western part of Sabah, particularly in the early morning, due to the squall line phenomenon.
This occurs when winds converge, creating a line of thunderstorms which can last for several hours.
