Haze watch: 21 areas nationwide wake up to unhealthy air

A highway in Cheras. The township was the only area in Kuala Lumpur with unhealthy air at 8am on September 20, 2026, with an API reading of 133. — Picture by Raymond Manuel

By Malay Mail

First Published: Sunday, 20 Sep 2026 9:13 AM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 — Haze continued to cloud parts of the country this morning, with 21 areas recording unhealthy air quality as of 8am.

Sarawak recorded the highest readings, led by the Serian district police headquarters at 182 on the Air Pollutant Index (API), followed by Samarahan at 168 and Sri Aman at 164, according to the Malaysian Air Pollutant Index Management System.

Johor also saw unhealthy air quality in Larkin, which recorded 162, and Pasir Gudang at 155.

Putrajaya, Nilai in Negeri Sembilan and Batu Pahat in Johor each recorded an API reading of 154.

In Selangor, Shah Alam recorded 153 while Johan Setia registered 127, while Cheras was the only area in Kuala Lumpur in the unhealthy category, with a reading of 133.

Another 41 areas recorded moderate air quality, including Batu Muda in Kuala Lumpur and Miri in Sarawak, both at 99, and Politeknik Kota Kinabalu at 98.

Five areas recorded good air quality, with Tanah Merah in Kelantan registering 47, Sungai Petani in Kedah 41 and Alor Setar 35.

Under the API classification, readings of 0 to 50 indicate good air quality, 51 to 100 moderate, 101 to 200 unhealthy, 201 to 300 very unhealthy and 301 and above hazardous.