September 2, 2026

New Malaysia Times

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Hazardous Air Quality Hits Three Areas in Sarawak, Serian Records Highest API Reading of 320

Sarawak API hazardous reading Serian Kuching

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 — Three districts in Sarawak recorded hazardous Air Pollutant Index (API) levels as of 8:00 am today, led by the Serian District Police Headquarters (IPD), which logged the country’s highest reading at 320.

According to data from the Malaysian Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS), the other two locations entering the hazardous zone—defined as API readings exceeding 300—were Kuching (318) and Samarahan (302).

Additionally, five other areas in Sarawak registered API readings in the “very unhealthy” category (201 to 300): Sibu (292), Sarikei (283), Mukah (241), Bintulu (226), and Sri Aman (214).

Nationwide, a total of 16 monitoring stations recorded “unhealthy” air quality levels (101 to 200). Samalaju, Sarawak, recorded the highest reading within this band at 196, followed by Kapit (187), Kota Kinabalu Polytechnic in Sabah (185), ILP Miri (183), and Labuan (181). Other affected areas logging unhealthy readings include Miri (181), Kota Kinabalu (179), Kimanis (175), Keningau (173), Limbang (173), Johan Setia in Selangor (161), Sandakan (152), Putrajaya (148), Nilai (137), Tawau (123), and Seremban (116).

Meanwhile, 44 monitoring stations across Malaysia recorded moderate API readings. Under national standards, API values between 0 and 50 indicate good air quality, 51 to 100 moderate, 101 to 200 unhealthy, 201 to 300 very unhealthy, and readings above 300 are classified as hazardous.

NMT