Unhealthy air quality recorded in 29 areas, some within Klang Valley
PETALING JAYA: The haze worsened across the country, with 29 areas recording unhealthy air quality, including several areas in the Klang Valley, the northern and southern states, and Sarawak.
According to the Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS), the latest readings showed Serian in Sarawak recording the highest Air Pollutant Index (API) at 181 as at 6pm yesterday, followed by Johan Setia in Selangor and Sri Aman in Sarawak, both at 173.
Department of Environment (DOE) deputy director-general (Development) Azuri Azizah Saedon said the deterioration was concentrated mainly along the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and several areas in Sarawak, following the movement of haze from various directions.
“Moderate to dense transboundary haze was detected over West Kalimantan, with the smoke moving northwards towards western Sarawak,” she said in a statement.
In Selangor, Johan Setia recorded an API reading of 173, followed by Shah Alam (159), Kuala Selangor (152), Banting (151), Petaling Jaya (142) and Klang (134).
In Perak, Taiping recorded 157, followed by Tanjung Malim (156), Tasek (154), Pegoh (152) and Seri Manjung (143).
Penang recorded unhealthy readings in Minden (155), Seberang Perai (152) and Balik Pulau (103), while in Sarawak, Serian hit 181, Sri Aman (173), and Kuching, Samarahan and Sarikei recording 154 each.
Other affected areas included Putrajaya (156); Batu Muda in Kuala Lumpur (152); Sungai Petani (152) in Kedah; Bukit Rambai (154) and Alor Gajah (153) in Melaka; Nilai (156) and Seremban (152) in Negri Sembilan; Batu Pahat and Tangkak at 152, and Segamat (151) in Johor.
Azuri Azizah said smoke plumes were also observed over parts of Kalimantan, central and southern Sumatra, as well as Riau islands and Bangka-Belitung.
“According to the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC), based on NOAA satellite imagery on Aug 24, 287 hotspots were recorded in Kalimantan, 65 in Sumatra and 11 in Malaysia,” she said.
The haze situation had already deteriorated earlier in the day, with 30 areas recording unhealthy readings by 11am, while no monitoring stations recorded good air quality.
Azuri Azizah said the DOE had intensified enforcement and daily patrols in areas prone to open burning while closely monitoring air quality nationwide.
The National Open Burning Action Plan and National Haze Action Plan have also been activated to coordinate government efforts.
If API readings exceed 150 for more than 24 hours, the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) may activate the Disaster Management Committee.
Measures could include suspending outdoor activities, closing schools and childcare centres, and carrying out cloud seeding if necessary.
The API classifies readings of 0-50 as good, 51-100 as moderate, 101-200 as unhealthy, 201-300 as very unhealthy and above 300 as hazardous.
