Air quality ranged from good to moderate in the country as at 9am today, a little respite from the regional smoke triggered mainly by forest fires in Indonesia.

The Department of Environment (DOE) portal reported good air pollutant index readings in 17 monitored areas and moderate API readings in 35 other places.

Air quality has improved in Malacca City and Bukit Rambai, also in Malacca, with API readings at a moderate 96 and 98 respectively, down from the unhealthy 122 and 106 as at 6pm yesterday.

Thirty-three other places also experienced moderate API readings, among them Kota Tinggi in Johor, Nilai in Negri Sembilan, Balok Baru in Pahang, Kg Air Putih in Taiping, Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang, Bintulu in Sarawak, Port Klang in Selangor, Kemaman in Terengganu and Cheras in Kuala Lumpur.

An API reading of 0 to 50 indicates good air quality; 51 to 100, moderate; 101 to 200, unhealthy; 201 to 300, very unhealthy and 300 and above, hazardous.

The people can obtain API readings for their areas from the DOE portal . – Bernama