PETALING JAYA: The eruption of Mount Ruang in Sulawesi, Indonesia last Tuesday did not impact the air quality levels in Sabah and Sarawak.
Department of Environment (DOE) director-general Datuk Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar, said the monitoring stations across the two states did not detect any significant increases in pollutants.
In fact, there was no increase in readings of suspended solid pollutants (PM2.5 and PM10), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3) and carbon monoxide (CO) were recorded, according to Harian Metro.
“Air Pollutant Index (API) readings on the DOE website as of 10pm last night showed 21 areas with good air quality and 47 areas with moderate air quality levels. No stations recorded unhealthy air quality status,“ he said.
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As of 2pm today, a survey found most areas in Peninsular Malaysia recording moderate API levels, while readings in Sabah and Sarawak remained in the good range.
Locations in the peninsula with moderate readings included Banting (88), Bukit Rambai (71), Balok Baru (70), Kluang (60), Alor Setar (65) and Tanah Merah (71).
The API categorises readings from 0-50 as good, 51-100 as moderate, 101-200 as unhealthy, 201-300 as very unhealthy, and 300 or higher as hazardous.
Wan Abdul Latiff assured that the DOE will continue closely monitoring API readings going forward.
The public can access the latest hourly readings on the agency’s website at http://apims.doe.gov.my or via the official MyIPU smartphone application on Google Play.
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