KUALA LUMPUR: The government does not rule out further improvements to the National Haze Action Plan to ensure a more effective response to haze, says Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup.
The Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister said the plan had been revised six times since 2002, most recently in 2025, to ensure that coordination mechanisms and protective measures remained relevant and responsive to developments in the haze situation.
“Future improvements could take into account alert levels, Air Pollutant Index (API) readings, the duration of persistent pollution, relevant response measures and risks to public health and safety.
“This approach is important to ensure that the actions of each agency can be coordinated more effectively, particularly when API readings reach unhealthy or very unhealthy levels, in order to protect public health and well-being,” he said during the Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday (Oct 22).
Responding to public concerns over differences between official API readings and those reported by platforms such as the Air Quality Index (AQI) or other independent applications, Arthur said the discrepancies could stem from variations in the scales, thresholds, categories, averaging periods, update times and data sources used by different platforms.
“Such differences do not necessarily indicate that the official API readings are inaccurate or that air pollution levels have been understated,” he said.
He added that some platforms relied on low-cost sensors or estimates based on models and satellite data.
“Satellite data measure the concentration of particles in the atmosphere rather than actual air quality at ground level, where people breathe.
“Satellite data also have limitations, as they can be affected by factors such as cloud cover and atmospheric humidity,” he said.
As such, Arthur said official API readings issued by the Environment Department remained the government’s reference for determining air quality status and implementing haze management measures in the country.
He reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring that official API readings were accurate, transparent and reliable to maintain public confidence in the air quality information provided.
“The official API is calculated based on concentrations of six major pollutants monitored continuously through 68 automatic air quality monitoring stations operated by the DOE nationwide.
“Data from the stations are monitored continuously through the Environmental Data Centre to detect changes in readings, monitor equipment performance and enable corrective action,” he said.
