Malaysia recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings in multiple locations on August 13, 2026, according to hourly data from 68 air quality monitoring stations nationwide [1, 2, 3, 4].
At 9 am, 11 areas across the country registered unhealthy API levels between 101 and 200. Sarawak had the highest concentration of affected areas, led by Samarahan with the highest API reading of 183. Other Sarawak areas with unhealthy readings were Serian (182), Kuching (176), Sarikei and Sri Aman (both 158), and Mukah and Sibu (152). In Peninsular Malaysia, four locations also experienced unhealthy air: Johan Setia (154) and Shah Alam (101) in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur (131), and Putrajaya (104) [1].
By 4 pm, the number of unhealthy areas nationwide decreased slightly to 10. Sarawak still dominated with seven affected locations, including Serian (178), Samarahan (177), Kuching (174), Sri Aman (162), Sarikei (157), Mukah (152), and Sibu (151). Peninsular Malaysia had three unhealthy areas at that time: Johan Setia (154) and Shah Alam (108) in Selangor, and Cheras (127) in Kuala Lumpur [2, 3, 4].
Throughout the day, about 55 to 56 areas maintained moderate API levels ranging from 51 to 100, and two locations showed good air quality readings between 0 and 50. The API scale interpretation classifies 0-50 as good, 51-100 as moderate, 101-200 as unhealthy, 201-300 as very unhealthy, and above 300 as hazardous [1, 2, 3, 4].
There is a minor discrepancy in reported numbers for the 9 am unhealthy readings. One source lists 11 areas while others do not specify 9 am figures but report 10 unhealthy areas at 4 pm [1, 2, 3, 4].
Authorities continue releasing API data hourly to monitor air quality conditions across Malaysia. The next scheduled update will be this afternoon, providing further details on how pollution levels evolve.
