PETALING JAYA, Selangor – Air quality worsened to unhealthy levels in three areas in Malaysia on the morning of March 26, amid soaring temperatures.

Banting in Selangor briefly hit an Air Pollutant Index (API) reading of 101 at 5am on March 26 before moderating to 97 at 10am, according to the API.

Rompin in Pahang recorded an API reading of 152 at 10am, while Kimanis in Sabah also saw unhealthy air quality with an API reading of 104 at 10am. Kimanis has recorded unhealthy API readings since March 21.

Two other locations – Putrajaya and Shah Alam – had API readings nearing the unhealthy mark on the morning of March 26. Both locations had an API reading of 92 at 10am.

The air quality in a location is considered unhealthy if its API reading is between 101 and 200, and very unhealthy at between 201 and 300.

An API reading of more than 300 means the air quality in a location has become hazardous.

Malaysia’s hot and dry season started earlier in 2024 compared with the past two years, owing to the ongoing El Nino weather phenomenon.

Forty-seven areas in all states except for Terengganu are under a heatwave alert as at March 26. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK