KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 ― The air quality dropped to an unhealthy level in three more places by noon today, raising to seven the areas with an Air Pollutant Index (API) of more than 100.

According to the portal of the Department of Environment (DoE), the air quality was unhealthy in Samarahan (104), Sibu (188) and Sri Aman (109) in Sarawak; Kuala Selangor (118), Port Klang (144) and Shah Alam (102) in Selangor and Tanjung Malim (103) in Perak.

The air quality was moderate in 40 places, among them Pasir Gudang, Johor (51), Alor Setar, Kedah (58), Tanah Merah, Kelantan (79), Historical City of Melaka (59), Seremban, Negeri Sembilan (68), Prai, Penang (54), Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (59) and Kuching, Sarawak (84).

An API reading of between 0 and 50 is considered good; 51 to 100, moderate; 101 to 200, unhealthy; 201 to 300, very unhealthy; and 301 and above, hazardous.

Members of the public can refer to the DOE portal to find out the API reading for their areas. ― Bernama