PETALING JAYA: A total of 15 localities nationwide recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) levels at 10am on Saturday (Sept 19), according to the Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS).
Six areas in Sarawak recorded unhealthy levels, with Sri Aman and Samarahan recording the highest API readings of 163, followed by Sibu at 158, Sarikei at 153, Bintulu at 127 and Kapit at 110.
In Perak, Seri Manjung recorded the highest reading of 163, while Tanjung Malim recorded an API of 107.
Other areas recording unhealthy levels are Shah Alam (156) and Petaling Jaya (119) in Selangor, Batu Muda (154) in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya (153), Nilai (151) in Negri Sembilan, Bukit Rambai (117) in Melaka and Tawau (103) in Sabah.
Besides that, 24 locations recorded moderate API readings, while seven locations recorded good levels.
API readings of between zero and 50 indicate good air quality, 51 to 100 moderate, 101 to 200 unhealthy, 201 to 300 very unhealthy, while readings above 300 are categorised as hazardous.
API data is released hourly based on readings from 68 air quality monitoring stations nationwide.
