KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 23 — Haze conditions worsened in parts of Peninsular Malaysia this afternoon, with Sungai Petani and Johan Setia recording higher Air Pollutant Index (API) readings, while five other areas edged closer to the unhealthy level.
Sungai Petani, Kedah recorded an API reading of 153 at 5pm, up from 140 at 9am, placing it in the unhealthy category.
Johan Setia in Selangor also saw its reading rise from 157 to 160, making it the highest API reading in the peninsula.
Meanwhile, Taiping in Perak improved slightly from 121 to 112, although the reading remained within the unhealthy category.
Five areas were approaching the unhealthy threshold, with Klang recording an API of 95, Banting and Putrajaya 93 each, Bukit Rambai in Melaka 92 and Nilai in Negeri Sembilan 91.
All five areas remained under the moderate category, which covers API readings between 51 and 100.
In Sarawak, which continued to record the country’s highest API readings, conditions showed slight improvement at all four affected locations.
Serian recorded the highest reading at 186, followed by Kuching at 176, while Samarahan and Sri Aman both recorded 173.
The Department of Environment is monitoring air quality through 68 stations nationwide, with readings updated hourly.
An API reading of 101 to 200 is classified as unhealthy, while readings of 201 to 300 are considered very unhealthy and those above 300 hazardous.
