Fresh air in Malaysia again: Only Samalaju in Sarawak still unhealthy after months of haze

The sky in the Klang Valley may not be the perfect blue just yet on October 27, 2026, but the winds and rains are finally blowing the transboundary haze from forest fires in Indonesia away since August. — Picture by Choo Choy May

By Malay Mail

First Published: Tuesday, 27 Oct 2026 9:57 AM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 — Malaysia is breathing easier today, with only one place in the country still recording unhealthy air after a haze season that began in August.

Samalaju in Sarawak is the lone station in the unhealthy range, with its Air Pollutant Index (API) reading edging up to 152 at 9am from 151 at 7am, according to the Department of Environment’s Malaysia Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS) website.

All Klang Valley readings were below 100 at 9am, with some places in the “good” category.

Banting (45) and Kuala Selangor (47) were rated “good”, while Petaling Jaya (52), Shah Alam (54), Klang (58) and Johan Setia (66) were moderate.

Putrajaya recorded 54, while Cheras read 58 and Batu Muda 84 — the highest of the Klang Valley readings.

It is a sharp turnaround from August 28, when six of the 19 unhealthy stations nationwide were in the Greater Klang Valley, with Cheras at 160.

The smog was then thick enough that the government moved the National Day Prime Minister’s Address from Dataran Merdeka to the indoor Putrajaya International Convention Centre. 

Johor, which had been struggling with high pollution levels, saw all its stations read below 100 at 9am.

An API reading of zero to 50 is considered good, 51 to 100 moderate, 101 to 200 unhealthy, 201 to 300 very unhealthy and above 300 hazardous.