KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 27 — None of the areas in the country recorded a very unhealthy air quality as at 7 pm today, compared to three, at 2pm. 

According to the Department of Environment (DOE), 20 areas nationwide recorded unhealthy air quality, namely Shah Alam (177), Batu Muda (174), Port Klang (173), Sri Aman (166), Petaling Jaya (161), Putrajaya (159), Banting (150) Cheras (149), Tanjung Malim (143) and Kuala Selangor (141).  They were followed by Samarahan (140), Seremban (130), Kuching (122), Seri Manjung (117), SK Jalan Pegoh, Ipoh and Jerantut (144), Port Dickson (112), Bukit Rambai (107) , Malacca City (106) and Nilai (102). 

Meanwhile 22 areas recorded moderate air quality with Tawau recording a moderate API reading of 86, followed by Sarikei (83) and Pasir Gudang (80). 

Five areas in the north of the peninsula recorded good air quality with the lowest API recorded in Kangar (21), followed by Alor Setar (26), Langkawi (30), Georgetown (39) and Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang (44), and one area in Kelantan — Tanah Merah (42).

An API of between 0 and 50 is good, 51 to 100 (moderate), 101 to 200 (unhealthy), 201 to 300 (very unhealthy) and 300 and above (hazardous).

Members of the public can refer to DOE’s portal at http://apims.doe.gov.my/v2/ to know the latest API readings. — Bernama