KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 — Air quality deteriorated further this afternoon, with 23 monitoring stations recording unhealthy readings on the Air Pollutant Index (API) at 4.00pm, up from 21 in the morning, according to the Department of Environment (DOE).
Of the 68 stations nationwide, 23 registered readings in the unhealthy range of 101 to 200, while 39 recorded moderate air quality and six remained in the good tier. No station entered very unhealthy or hazardous territory.
Seremban in Negeri Sembilan logged the worst air quality in the country at 172, up from 169 at 10.00am. Elsewhere in the state, Nilai recorded 166, while Port Dickson improved to 140. Melaka saw all three of its monitoring stations remain in the unhealthy tier, led by Bukit Rambai at 163, Bandaraya Melaka at 160, and Alor Gajah at 158.
Johor remained the worst-affected state, with eight stations in the unhealthy bracket after Kota Tinggi joined the list at 151. Batu Pahat and Kluang climbed to 166 and 165 respectively, with Kluang matching Larkin, which eased to 165 from 169. Tangkak registered 162, Pasir Gudang 161, Segamat 155, and Pengerang 154.
In East Malaysia, Sarawak saw the sharpest rise in affected areas, expanding from three to five unhealthy stations. IPD Serian rose to 160, Sri Aman to 157, and Kapit to 153, while Kuching and Samarahan entered the bracket at 155 and 153. In Pahang, Rompin became the state's sole unhealthy locality after logging 141.
Conversely, parts of the Klang Valley showed slight improvement. Batu Muda and Cheras in Kuala Lumpur eased to 159 and 141, while Putrajaya improved to 118 from 151 in the morning. Petaling Jaya and Klang, which recorded 124 and 113 earlier in the day, dropped back into the moderate range.
Under the API system, readings between 101 and 200 are categorised as unhealthy. Health authorities advise high-risk individuals, including children, the elderly, and those with heart or respiratory conditions, to limit prolonged outdoor physical activity and wear face masks outside.