Malaysia’s air quality improves slightly, but Kapit and Serian remain shrouded in haze

Kuala Lumpur, September 21 — Throughout the day, air quality in Kapit, Sarawak, steadily worsened, emerging as the most polluted spot in Malaysia by 4pm. The Department of Environment recorded an Air Pollutant Index (API) of 173 in Kapit, a rise from 166 at 8.30am. Nationwide, 17 monitoring stations still reported "Unhealthy" conditions (API 101 to 200), a decrease from the 21 earlier.

IPD Serian stayed at 168, maintaining its second place nationally. Sibu and Sri Aman shared third place at 163, with Sibu's reading climbing from 156. Apart from these top four, areas like Bintulu (161), Samalaju (158), Kuching (157), Samarahan (155), Miri (153), and Sarikei (106) also faced elevated pollution. In the Klang Valley, Cheras in Kuala Lumpur hit 156, the highest in Peninsular Malaysia, while Putrajaya recorded 155.

Both remained largely unchanged from morning levels. Negeri Sembilan's readings also eased slightly, with Nilai at 155 (down from 158) and Seremban at 152 (down from 155). Sabah saw a modest improvement with Politeknik Kota Kinabalu at 151, down from 153. Selangor showed the most significant improvement, with Johan Setia dropping from 153 to 124 and Shah Alam from 152 to 120, both still in the unhealthy range.

Several stations across the country improved enough to exit the unhealthy category by 4pm, including Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Bukit Rambai in Melaka, Tangkak in Johor, and ILP Miri and Limbang in Sarawak. The DoE maintains continuous air quality monitoring nationwide, cautioning the public, especially vulnerable groups, to limit outdoor activities and stay updated on real-time conditions as wind and hotspot patterns change.