KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Parts of Malaysia recorded poor air quality on Sunday in several areas, particularly around the administrative capital of Putrajaya, according to the country's Department of Environment.
Putrajaya's readings have been the most persistent, first crossing into unhealthy territory at 4 a.m. on Saturday before hovering around the 150 mark. After a brief dip overnight, levels rebounded this morning, reaching 152 by 10 a.m., according to the department's air pollution index management system.
According to the country's air quality rating, an API reading of zero to 50 is "good," 51 to 100 is "moderate," 101 to 200 is "unhealthy," 201 to 300 is "very unhealthy," and 301 and above is "hazardous." Multiple areas in the country have been recording levels above 150 for several days.
Besides Putrajaya, air quality around the Klang Valley, the country's most densely populated area, also showed unhealthy readings, as well as Nilai district in Negeri Sembilan state, which saw a sharp drop in air quality to 124 overnight before improving by mid-morning.
As of the latest readings, cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya and Klang were largely registering moderate air quality levels, underscoring how conditions can vary sharply between monitoring points.
Nationwide, most monitoring stations remained within safer ranges, with 15 stations recording good air quality and 48 at moderate levels.
While authorities have yet to identify a cause for the drop in air quality, recent persistent dry weather has seen fire outbreaks and resulting smoke. ■
