October 22, 2026

New Malaysia Times

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Haze Spreads: 15 Nationwide Areas Experience Unhealthy Air Quality, Nilai Records Highest API At 163

15 areas unhealthy air quality Nilai API 163 DOE APIMS

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22  – Air quality across Malaysia worsened on Thursday morning, October 22, 2026, with 15 monitoring stations nationwide recording unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings as of 9:00 AM.

Data retrieved from the Department of Environment’s (DOE) Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS) portal revealed that Nilai in Negeri Sembilan registered the country’s worst air quality, with a peak API reading of 163.

Negeri Sembilan saw elevated pollution levels across all monitoring locations, with Seremban recording an API of 155 and Port Dickson reading 148.

Across Selangor, five monitoring stations fell into the unhealthy threshold, led by Klang and Johan Setia at 155 each, Petaling Jaya at 154, Shah Alam at 152, and Banting at 131.

Federal Territories, Southern States, and APIMS Breakdown

Key regional pollution levels and national air quality metrics reported at 9:00 AM include:

  • Federal Territories: Batu Muda recorded 152, while both Cheras and Putrajaya registered unhealthy API levels of 140.
  • Melaka Air Quality: Bukit Rambai recorded 159, while the Bandaraya Melaka station logged an API of 142.
  • Johor Industrial Zones: Tangkak recorded an unhealthy API reading of 153, while Pasir Gudang reached 108.
  • National Overview: APIMS reported 50 areas in the moderate category (51–100), while only three locations maintained good air quality (0–50).

Under the national APIMS scale, API values between 101 and 200 denote unhealthy air, 201 to 300 indicate very unhealthy conditions, and readings exceeding 300 are deemed hazardous.

–NMT