Johor air quality reaches unhealthy levels as Sarawak records very unhealthy readings

Three areas in Sarawak recorded very unhealthy air quality readings on Sept. 4, while Johor and other parts of Malaysia reported unhealthy levels.

Data from the Air Pollutant Index Management System showed Kuching at 298, Samarahan at 297 and Sri Aman at 248 as of 8:30 a.m. Six other Sarawak locations recorded unhealthy readings: Sarikei at 180, Sibu at 175, Mukah at 170, Bintulu at 159, Samalaju at 152 and ILP Miri at 137.

In Sabah, Sandakan recorded 152 and Politeknik Kota Kinabalu recorded 118. Johor’s readings reached 110 in Pasir Gudang and 107 in Segamat.

Forty-five locations in Johor, Melaka, Negri Sembilan, Pahang, Selangor and Terengganu had moderate readings, while 10 locations in Penang, Kedah and Kelantan recorded good air quality.

The index classifies readings from zero to 50 as good, 51 to 100 as moderate, 101 to 200 as unhealthy and 201 to 300 as very unhealthy. Readings above 300 are hazardous. Authorities release the data hourly from 68 monitoring stations nationwide.