by Theleaders | October 8, 2026 11:49 am
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 — Haze continued to blanket much of Peninsular Malaysia this morning, with 38 of the country’s 68 air quality monitoring stations recording unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings as of 9am, led by Segamat in Johor at 187.
Department of Environment (DOE) data showed Nilai in Negeri Sembilan was next at 183, followed by Seremban at 182, Pasir Gudang at 180 and Kluang at 179.
Johor remained among the worst-hit states, with all eight monitored locations in the unhealthy range, including Larkin (178), Tangkak (172), Pengerang (165), Kota Tinggi (164) and Batu Pahat (161).
In the Klang Valley, unhealthy readings were recorded at Johan Setia (178), Shah Alam (170), Banting (167), Klang (166), Petaling Jaya (165) and Kuala Selangor (155), while Putrajaya stood at 173 and Kuala Lumpur’s Cheras and Batu Muda stations at 172 and 168 respectively.
Meanwhile, Port Dickson recorded an API reading of 168, while all three monitoring stations in Melaka — Bukit Rambai (172), Bandaraya Melaka (171) and Alor Gajah (167) — registered unhealthy air quality.
Unhealthy readings were also recorded at five stations in Perak, four in Pahang, three in Penang, two in Terengganu and one in Kedah, while no station nationwide was in the very unhealthy or hazardous range at 9am.
In contrast, all 21 monitoring stations in Sarawak recorded moderate air quality as of 8am, with Serian at 96, Kuching at 93 and Samarahan at 92.
All schools in Johor are closed today and tomorrow following a decree by the Regent of Johor Tunku Mahkota Ismail after haze and air quality deteriorated across the state.
The Education Ministry has also instructed schools to immediately suspend outdoor activities when API readings exceed 100, while schools in areas where the reading exceeds 200 are to be closed.
MetMalaysia has forecast haze in several affected areas today, including Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Batu Pahat, although the department expects the inter-monsoon period beginning tomorrow to bring weaker winds, thunderstorms and heavy rain that could help ease the cross-border haze.
Under the DOE’s API classification, readings of zero to 50 are considered good, 51 to 100 moderate, 101 to 200 unhealthy, 201 to 300 very unhealthy and above 300 hazardous.
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