PETALING JAYA: The haze showed little sign of easing yesterday, with Serian in Sarawak edging higher to 182 and surpassing the country’s highest reading recorded a day earlier.
According to the Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS), Serian recorded an Air Pollutant Index (API) of 182 as of 5pm yesterday, slightly higher than the 181 recorded at 6pm on Tuesday.
Sri Aman, which recorded 173 the day before, eased marginally to 172, while Kuching stood at 156, Samarahan at 155 and Sarikei at 154.
In Selangor, Johan Setia remained among the worst affected areas at 173, unchanged from the previous day, followed by Shah Alam (160), Kuala Selangor (152), Petaling Jaya (142) and Klang (135).
Putrajaya recorded an API of 156, while Batu Muda in Kuala Lumpur stood at 155.
In Perak, Tanjung Malim and Taiping both recorded 157, followed by Tasek (155), Pegoh (152) and Seri Manjung (151).
Penang continued to record unhealthy air quality in Minden (155), Seberang Perai (152) and Balik Pulau (110), while Sungai Petani in Kedah recorded 153.
In the south, Bukit Rambai in Melaka recorded 155 and Alor Gajah 152, while Nilai in Negri Sembilan stood at 155 and Seremban at 152.
Johor recorded unhealthy readings in Segamat, Batu Pahat and Tangkak, all at 152.
Cheras, however, saw some improvement, with its API falling to 100.
Earlier in the day, 17 areas recorded unhealthy air quality as haze continued to affect several parts of the country.
As of 8am, Sri Aman recorded the country’s highest API reading at 167, followed by Serian at 166, before conditions in Serian deteriorated further through the day.
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.
