Unhealthy air quality hits 16 areas nationwide, Nilai worst affected

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 16 areas nationwide recorded unhealthy air quality as of 8am today.

According to the Department of Environment's Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS), the affected areas were in Negri Sembilan, Melaka, Selangor, Johor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

Negri Sembilan recorded the highest Air Pollutant Index (API) reading nationwide, with Nilai registering 162, followed by Seremban (156) and Port Dickson (151).

Melaka also registered unhealthy readings, with Bukit Rambai recording 160, Bandaraya Melaka (148) and Alor Gajah (101).

Selangor saw five areas affected, led by Klang (156), Johan Setia (155), Petaling Jaya (153), Shah Alam (152) and Banting (136).

Johor's affected locations were Tangkak (153) and Pasir Gudang (109).

Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur recorded unhealthy readings in Batu Muda (152) and Cheras (143), while Putrajaya registered 141.

APIMS data also showed that 49 other air quality monitoring stations nationwide recorded moderate API readings.

Three areas recorded good air quality, namely Politeknik Kota Kinabalu (48), Kimanis (39) and Limbang (35).

API readings of 0 to 50 are classified as good, 51 to 100 as moderate, 101 to 200 as unhealthy, 201 to 300 as very unhealthy, and readings above 300 as hazardous.