 PETALING JAYA: Unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings were recorded in several areas in Selangor and Negri Sembilan as folks complained about the hazy sky. Port Klang saw unhealthy levels of haze for the entire day yesterday, with a final reading of 118. Seremban recorded an API reading of 111 as of 5pm, while Selangor’s Banting hit 108. Putrajaya, too, was smog-ridden with a reading as high as 127 in the afternoon. It improved to 112 later. According to the Department of Environment (DOE), an API reading of below 50 is regarded as good, 50-100 is moderate, 100-200 is unhealthy, 200-300 very unhealthy, and above 300 hazardous. Other states in Malaysia were in the moderate and good range. The Meteorological Department’s forecast director, Mohd Helmi Abdullah, said the haze was a normal occurrence during hot and dry seasons. “It would probably stay on this level until the dry season ends,” he said, adding that the hazy condition was due to fires. In George Town, the API readings for both Prai and Seberang Jaya at 5pm was at 64. The DOE monitoring station at Universiti Sains Malaysia recorded 59 at 5pm. Visibility in Bayan Lepas and Butterworth was at 6km at 7pm. A DOE spokesman attributed the haze to smoke caused by forest fires on the mainland. -The Star.
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