By Danial Dzulkifly
SHAH ALAM, Oct 2 – The majority of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur are currently experiencing unhealthy air quality, according to the latest hourly Air Pollutant Index (API) data from the Environment Department (DOE).
As of 11am, Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam, Klang, Banting and Johan Setia all registered unhealthy readings of 155, 156, 146, 156 and 152 respectively.
Kuala Selangor was the only state outlier with a moderate API reading of 90.
In the capital city, Cheras recorded an API of 163, while the air quality at Batu Muda stood at 152.
Putrajaya also recorded an unhealthy reading of 155.
All three locations in Negeri Sembilan are also experiencing unhealthy air quality – Nilai (163), Seremban (158) and Port Dickson (155) – while two of three locations in Melaka recorded similar readings, namely Alor Gajah (139) and Bukit Rambai (152).
Two other locations with unhealthy readings in the country are Seberang Jaya, Penang (106) and Taiping, Perak (148).
On September 29, DOE director-general Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar attributed the ongoing haze to forest fires in southern Sumatra and Kalimantan.
He said these fires led to transboundary haze, affecting the west coast of the peninsula and even extending to the western regions of Sarawak.
Wan Abdul Latiff added that the condition is expected to persist for several days.
However, Indonesia’s Environment Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar was quick to counter these claims, denying the allegations.
The API Management System classifies air pollution into five distinct categories – 0 to 50 (good), 51 to 100 (moderate), 101 to 200 (unhealthy), 201 to 300 (very unhealthy), 301 and above (hazardous).
