KUCHING: The haze continues to affect large parts of Sarawak, with six monitoring stations recording unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings as of 3:00 pm today.
Based on the latest readings from the Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS), Sri Aman recorded an API of 161, followed by Sarikei at 157, Mukah at 152, and Sibu at 151.
Readings from the APIMS map also showed unhealthy air quality in the Kuching area, with readings of around 169 recorded at monitoring stations in and around the city.
The API readings indicate that southern and parts of central Sarawak continue to bear the brunt of the current haze situation.
Meanwhile, air quality remained at moderate levels in several other parts of the state at 3:00 pm.
Bintulu was approaching the unhealthy threshold at 96, followed by Samalaju at 88, Miri at 85, ILP Miri at 69, Kapit at 66, and Limbang at 61.
The hourly APIMS data also showed that air quality in Bintulu is expected to deteriorate into the unhealthy category later in the day, rising from 96 at 3:00 pm to 102 at 9:00 pm and reaching 112 at midnight.
Sri Aman, meanwhile, is forecast to remain unhealthy throughout the period, with its API expected to rise from 161 at 3:00 pm to 165 between 9:00 pm and 2:00 am before easing slightly to 164 at 3:00 am.
Sarikei is similarly expected to remain unhealthy, increasing gradually from 157 at 3:00 pm to 159 by 2:00 am.
Mukah is forecast to remain relatively steady at around 152 for most of the period, while Sibu’s reading is expected to ease from 151 at 3:00 pm to 137 at 9:00 pm before climbing again to 152 around midnight.
In northern Sarawak, conditions are expected to remain comparatively better, with Limbang, ILP Miri, Miri and Samalaju staying within the moderate range through the night based on the displayed readings.
Under the API classification, readings between 0 and 50 are considered good, 51 to 100 moderate, 101 to 200 unhealthy, 201 to 300 very unhealthy and above 300 hazardous.
Members of the public in affected areas are advised to continue monitoring official air quality updates, and limit unnecessary outdoor activities while unhealthy conditions persist.
