Samarahan API dips to moderate 98 at 8am today, Kanowit and Lundu also return to moderate levels

Kuching, September 14 — The Air Pollutant Index (API) in Samarahan has shown a marked improvement, dipping to a moderate reading of 98 at 8am today, marking a significant shift from an unhealthy 147 at 9pm the previous day. The Natural Resources and Environment Board reported that Kanowit and Lundu, too, had joined Samarahan in returning to moderate API levels at 8am, with readings of 97 and 94 respectively, down from 133 and 112 recorded at 9pm the prior evening.

In contrast, Lubok Antu continued to struggle with very unhealthy air quality, experiencing a slight rise in API from 202 at 9pm to 205 at 8am. Other areas, including Sri Aman, Samalaju, Miri's Industrial Training Institute, and Limbang, also saw their API readings inch up slightly but remained in the unhealthy range. Conversely, several locations experienced slight reductions in their API scores but still remained in the unhealthy category at 8am: Tebedu at 174 from 161, Serian at 173 from 175, Betong at 154 from 162, and Kuching at 132 from 153.

Sibu reported an improvement with its API falling from 92 at 9pm to 83 at 8am, while Sarikei, Bintulu, Mukah, and Kapit all had their API readings decrease from 86 to 75, 78 to 75, 73 to 67, and 69 to 62, respectively. Miri and Lawas, however, maintained their API scores at 67 and 60, respectively, at 8am. Bario, the only location that continued to enjoy good air quality, saw a slight increase in its API from 38 at 9pm to 40 at 8am.

For reference, API readings between 201 and 300 are classified as Very Unhealthy, between 101 and 200 as Unhealthy, between 51 and 100 as Moderate, and between 0 and 50 as Good.