Air Quality Deteriorates As Pasir Gudang Hits ‘Very Unhealthy’ API Level

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 16 – Pasir Gudang in Johor recorded a “very unhealthy” Air Pollutant Index (API) reading of 207—the highest in the nation—while 30 other monitoring stations across Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah registered unhealthy air quality as of 9:00 AM on Friday, October 16, 2026.

According to data from the Department of Environment’s (DOE) Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS) portal, deteriorating haze conditions have affected multiple states, led by critical levels in Johor, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Pahang, and Perak.

Breakdown of API Readings by State and Region

The DOE reported the following API readings across affected regions:

• Johor: In addition to Pasir Gudang’s reading of 207, Larkin registered 194, followed by Pengerang (177), Batu Pahat (172), Kluang (171), Kota Tinggi (164), Tangkak (163), and Segamat (160).
• Selangor: Six stations recorded unhealthy levels, led by Johan Setia (185), Klang (181), Petaling Jaya (173), Shah Alam (171), Banting (169), and Kuala Selangor (155).
• Kuala Lumpur & Putrajaya: Putrajaya recorded an API reading of 174, while Kuala Lumpur saw Batu Muda register 170 and Cheras hit 168.
• Negeri Sembilan: Nilai recorded a reading of 189, followed by Seremban (181) and Port Dickson (172).
• Melaka: Bandaraya Melaka registered 179, Bukit Rambai 178, and Alor Gajah 172.
• Perak: Seri Manjung logged 169, Tanjung Malim 162, Pegoh 154, and Tasek, Ipoh 151.
• Pahang & Sabah: In Pahang, Temerloh recorded 155, Rompin 152, and Jerantut 122. In Sabah, Tawau registered an unhealthy API reading of 152.

A total of 37 other locations across the country recorded moderate API readings.

Under the national air quality scale, API values between 0 and 50 are categorized as Good, 51 to 100 as Moderate, 101 to 200 as Unhealthy, 201 to 300 as Very Unhealthy, and values exceeding 300 as Hazardous.

-NMT