KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 30 ― Malaysia’s capital and satellite cities in Selangor received a brief respite from the choking haze blown in from Indonesian forest fires to the west, thanks to heavy rains earlier this morning.
While the rains improved the air quality slightly compared to yesterday, some areas in the central region on the west coast of the peninsula deteriorated, like the town of Nilai in Negri Sembilan which recorded 104 at 2pm on Air Pollutant Index (API), sending it into the “unhealthy” category.
The Selangor capital of Shah Alam had an API reading of 101 at noon, but has since improved to 93, though still at a borderline unhealthy level.
According to Malaysia’s Department of Environment, an API reading of over 100 is unhealthy, 201 and above is very unhealthy, and a reading of more than 300 is hazardous.
Selangor’s Port Klang recorded an API of 79, while Kuala Lumpur districts Batu Muda was at 85 and Cheras, at 84. The seaside town of Banting also recorded an API reading of 93 as at 2pm.
The Perak township of Tanjung Malim has shown a slight improvement in its API reading at 86 at 2pm today, compared to a reading of 119 at 5pm yesterday.
Areas in Sarawak and Terengganu meanwhile, recorded a moderate API reading between 54 and 58.
Elsewhere in the peninsula, records show the air quality to still be healthy.
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency warned over the weekend that current wind conditions blowing eastwards will mean the smoke from forest fires in Sumatra’s central Riau province will blanket Malaysia and Singapore in the next few days.
