PETALING JAYA: Haze continued to affect the country, with 36 areas recording unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings according to the Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS).
As of 6pm yesterday, Johor recorded the most affected areas with eight, followed by Selangor with six and Perak with five.
In Johor, Pasir Gudang recorded the highest API reading at 191, followed by Segamat (187), Larkin (187), Tangkak (184), Batu Pahat (178), Kluang (177), Kota Tinggi (176) and Pengerang (175).
In Negri Sembilan, Seremban recorded an API reading of 188, followed by Nilai (184) and Port Dickson (174), while the affected areas in Melaka were Bukit Rambai (187), Bandaraya Melaka (182) and Alor Gajah (181).
The Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) reported moderate to dense transboundary smoke haze over parts of Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Kalimantan, and southern and central Sumatra.
It said dry weather continued across parts of the southern Asean region, with hotspots detected mainly in Kalimantan and southern Sumatra, although the full extent could not be determined in some areas because of thick smoke haze and cloud cover.
Many air quality monitoring stations in Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Kalimantan and Sumatra were reporting unhealthy to hazardous air quality, the centre said.
Showers were observed over parts of Peninsular Malaysia, northern Sumatra and Borneo, while dry conditions persisted elsewhere in the southern region.
Over the next few days, showers are expected over Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, and northern and central Borneo, potentially improving haze conditions.
The ASMC warned that haze could remain elevated in fire-prone areas experiencing prolonged dry weather, with the risk of transboundary haze continuing.
In the northern Asean region, showers were forecast to continue, with the haze situation expected to remain subdued.
In Selangor, Johan Setia recorded 178, followed by Shah Alam (174), Petaling Jaya (164), Klang (166), Banting (165) and Kuala Selangor (155).
Cheras and Batu Muda in Kuala Lumpur recorded readings of 172 and 171 respectively, while Putrajaya registered 169.
In Perak, unhealthy readings were recorded in Tasek Ipoh (182), Pegoh Ipoh (176), Tanjung Malim (173), Seri Manjung (158) and Taiping (103).
Other affected areas were Rompin (162), Indera Mahkota in Kuantan (158) and Temerloh (157) in Pahang; Sungai Petani (156) and Alor Setar (152) in Kedah; Seberang Jaya (150) and Seberang Perai (133) in Penang; and Kemaman (94) in Terengganu.
Meanwhile, 32 areas recorded moderate air quality, while no areas recorded good readings.
API readings of zero to 50 indicate good air quality, 51 to 100 moderate, 101 to 200 unhealthy, 201 to 300 very unhealthy, and readings above 300 hazardous.
