KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 — Air quality was at the unhealthy level in nine areas in the country as at noon today, the worst-hit being Sibu in Sarawak.

Sibu had an Air Pollutant Index (API) of 165, according to the portal of the Department of Environment (DoE).

The other areas were Batu Muda (133) and Cheras (122) in Kuala Lumpur; Banting (131), Port Klang (114) and Petaling Jaya (104) in Selangor; Putrajaya (120) and Samarahan (107) and Sri Aman (107) in Sarawak.

The rest of the country recorded good to moderate API readings.

An API reading of between zero and 50 indicates good air quality; between 51 and 100, moderate; between 101 and 200, unhealthy; between 201 and 300, very unhealthy and over 301, hazardous.

Members of the public can refer to the DOE portal at http://www.doe.gov.my to find out the API reading for their areas. — Bernama