Air quality in Serian, Sarawak, reached the hazardous level this morning after the area recorded an Air Pollutant Index (API) reading of 364 as of 8am on Sunday.
According to the Department of Environment’s Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS), the reading was recorded at the air quality monitoring station at the Serian District Police Headquarters.
Three other areas in Sarawak recorded “very unhealthy” air quality, with Samarahan registering an API of 300, followed by Kuching at 291 and Sri Aman at 214.
Several locations also recorded unhealthy air quality, with Sarikei registering 195, Sibu 187 and Bintulu 179.
Samalaju recorded an API reading of 171, followed by Mukah at 170, Kapit at 159, Miri at 155 and the Miri Industrial Training Institute at 151.
The latest readings indicate that Sarawak continues to experience widespread deterioration in air quality, with several monitoring stations recording levels that could pose health concerns.
Under Malaysia’s API classification, readings from zero to 50 indicate good air quality, while 51 to 100 are considered moderate.
Readings between 101 and 200 are classified as unhealthy, 201 to 300 as very unhealthy, while readings above 300 are categorised as hazardous.
The API data is updated hourly based on readings collected from 68 air quality monitoring stations nationwide.
