KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 — Thick transboundary haze continued to blanket Malaysia this morning, pushing exactly half of the nation’s air monitoring stations into the unhealthy bracket and leaving not a single area with clean air, according to the Department of Environment (DOE).
Data from the DOE dashboard at 9.30am showed that 34 out of 68 stations registered Air Pollutant Index (API) readings between 101 and 200, marking a steady deterioration from 28 stations yesterday afternoon and 27 yesterday morning.
The remaining 34 stations sat in the moderate tier, while the two stations that still recorded good air quality a day earlier slipped out of the bracket. While no station crossed into the very unhealthy tier above 200, the worst-hit areas are inching dangerously close.
Selangor’s perennial hotspot Johan Setia topped the country’s pollution chart at 192, climbing from 175 yesterday afternoo. Nearby Klang followed closely at 191, also jumping sharply from 175. Pasir Gudang in Johor, which bore the brunt of the pollution for much of the week, logged 181 to rank eighth nationwide.
Air quality deteriorated sharply across the Klang Valley and southern states. Selangor logged six unhealthy stations, with Shah Alam touching 179, Banting 170, Petaling Jaya 168, and Kuala Selangor 161. In the capital, Cheras recorded 172 and Batu Muda 162, while Putrajaya rose to 175.
In Negeri Sembilan, Nilai spiked to 187, Seremban hit 182, and Port Dickson reached 176. Melaka saw all three of its monitoring stations turn unhealthy, led by Bukit Rambai at 184, Bandaraya Melaka at 178, and Alor Gajah at 176.
Johor suffered the highest concentration of polluted zones in the country, with eight stations in the unhealthy category. Larkin matched Nilai at 187, followed by Batu Pahat at 182, Tangkak at 177, Pengerang at 170, Kluang at 165, Kota Tinggi at 162, and Segamat at 161.
The smoke also pushed deeper into northern and eastern corridors. Perak logged four unhealthy locations, with Tanjung Malim recording 168, Seri Manjung 167, and Ipoh stations Pegoh and Tasek registering 110 and 108 respectively. Penang’s Seberang Perai stood at 142. Across the main range in Pahang, readings rose in Temerloh to 156, Jerantut to 152, Rompin to 151, and Indera Mahkota in Kuantan to 151.
In East Malaysia, Samarahan in Sarawak posted 152, while the IPD Serian station registered 120. Conversely, Terengganu showed marked improvement, with none of its stations remaining on the unhealthy roster after logging three yesterday.
The escalating haze triggered widespread school closures on Wednesday across Johor, Melaka, and Negeri Sembilan, as well as institutions under nine district education offices spanning Selangor, Pahang, Sabah, and Sarawak. Under standing Ministry of Education protocols outlined by Minister Fadhlina Sidek, schools must suspend all outdoor activities once the API crosses 100 and enforce immediate classroom closures if readings breach the 200 threshold.
Health authorities have urged the public, particularly high-risk individuals and those suffering from chronic respiratory conditions, to mask up outdoors and track hourly API movements.