Haze makes Kuala Lumpur the world's most polluted city, with Singapore third

KUALA LUMPUR: Kuala Lumpur ranked as the world's most polluted major city yesterday as haze continued to blanket the capital, with Singapore in third place.

The air quality index compiled by Swiss air quality monitor IQAir gave Kuala Lumpur a reading of 166 and Singapore 155, AFP reported.

On that index, readings above 150 are considered unhealthy, while those above 300 are hazardous.

The haze, caused by smoke from forest and land fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra in Indonesia, has hung over both countries for more than a month.

Hot, dry weather linked to El Nino has made the fires worse, along with land clearing.

Twenty areas record unhealthy readings

Malaysia's official Air Pollutant Index (API) also showed unhealthy air across parts of the Klang Valley yesterday.

The Malaysian Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS) recorded unhealthy readings in 20 areas as of 4.30pm, with Johan Setia in Selangor the highest at 166, Bernama reported.

In the capital, the Cheras station recorded 162 and Batu Muda 160, while Shah Alam and Pasir Gudang each recorded 164.

Conditions were worse earlier in the day, when 33 areas recorded unhealthy readings, including Cheras at 173.

An API reading of 101 to 200 is classified as unhealthy, 201 to 300 as very unhealthy and above 300 as hazardous.

The IQAir index and the API use different scales and cannot be compared directly.

Signs of easing

Conditions showed signs of improving this morning, with only five areas recording unhealthy readings as of 8am, according to APIMS.

Shah Alam recorded the highest reading at 154, followed by Nilai (153), Klang and Putrajaya (152 each) and Port Dickson (122).

Another 47 areas were in the moderate range, while six recorded good air quality.

Residents have complained that the haze is affecting their health and visibility.

"It's really impacting our health and also the visibility," a 22-year-old graduate in Kuala Lumpur told AFP.

The public has been advised to limit outdoor activities, wear face masks when necessary and check the latest readings on the APIMS website.

A shadow over F1

The haze comes as Malaysia prepares to host the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia at the Sepang International Circuit from Oct 2 to 4, with Singapore due to stage its own F1 Grand Prix a week later.

Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS driver George Russell said the haze posed the same challenge for every team.

In Indonesia, the Forestry Ministry recorded 15,461 hotspots in September, more than during the 2019 fire season, IDN Financials reported.