KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 — Haze continued to blanket much of the peninsula this morning, with 22 of the country’s 68 monitoring stations in the unhealthy range, according to the Department of Environment (DOE).
As of 8am, the DOE dashboard showed 22 stations with Air Pollutant Index (API) readings of 101 to 200. Another 39 stations were in the moderate range and seven were in the good range. No station recorded very unhealthy or hazardous levels.
The unhealthy count is down from 25 at 4pm yesterday, when 35 stations were moderate and eight were good.
Bukit Rambai in Melaka recorded the highest reading at 174, up from 166 yesterday afternoon. It displaced Batu Muda in Kuala Lumpur, which topped yesterday’s list at 173 but has since eased to 159. Bandaraya Melaka rose to 162 from 156, and Alor Gajah to 158 from 156, so all three Melaka stations remain unhealthy.
Negeri Sembilan’s readings were broadly steady. Nilai recorded 161, down from 165, Seremban 158, down from 161, and Port Dickson 155, up slightly from 154.
In Selangor, Johan Setia, near a peat fire hotspot, recorded 160, down from 171 yesterday. Klang and Banting were both at 159, Shah Alam at 158 and Petaling Jaya at 157, all lower than yesterday afternoon. In Kuala Lumpur, Cheras eased to 159 from 169, while Putrajaya recorded 158, down from 164.
Johor had seven unhealthy stations. Batu Pahat recorded 157, up from 153, and Larkin 155, down from 159. Tangkak stood at 153, Pasir Gudang at 152 and Kluang at 151. Segamat recorded 123, and Kota Tinggi fell sharply to 111 from 155 yesterday, the lowest reading on this morning’s unhealthy list. Pengerang, which was at 155 yesterday afternoon, is no longer in the unhealthy range.
Paka in Terengganu was the only station outside the west coast and Johor still unhealthy, at 153. The three Perak stations unhealthy yesterday, Tasek Ipoh, Pegoh Ipoh and Tanjung Malim, have dropped off the list.
Haze has persisted despite recent rainfall, which offered only temporary relief while fresh smoke continued to drift in from forest fires in Indonesia. Veterinarians have also reported pets suffering respiratory problems, including asthma attacks in cats and dogs needing oxygen therapy.
Authorities have previously advised high-risk groups and people with respiratory conditions to wear masks outdoors and to monitor hourly API updates on official DOE channels.