Kuala Lumpur has once again climbed to the top of the world’s pollution ranking as haze continues to blanket large parts of Malaysia.
According to IQAir’s live global major city ranking on Oct 7, Kuala Lumpur was ranked No. 1 in the world for air pollution, with a US AQI reading of around 210 to 214 during the morning.
That puts the capital firmly in the “very unhealthy” category, which covers AQI readings between 201 and 300.
KL ahead of other major polluted cities
At the time of the ranking, Kuala Lumpur’s reading was significantly higher than several other major cities.
IQAir’s live list placed Kuala Lumpur first, followed by cities including Dhaka, Kolkata, Singapore and Delhi, although rankings can shift throughout the day as air quality changes.
The user-shared IQAir screenshot taken between 11am and noon similarly showed Kuala Lumpur in first place with a US AQI of 210, ahead of Singapore at 176, Dhaka at 173, Delhi at 165 and Lahore at 164.
PM2.5 is the main pollutant
IQAir data showed that PM2.5 was the main pollutant affecting Kuala Lumpur.
At around 9am, the capital recorded a US AQI of 213, with PM2.5 concentrations reaching approximately 138 µg/m³.
PM2.5 refers to tiny airborne particles small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs, and prolonged exposure can pose health risks, particularly for children, the elderly and those with respiratory or heart conditions.
Malaysia’s official API also remains unhealthy
Malaysia’s official Department of Environment readings use the Air Pollutant Index, or API, which is calculated differently from IQAir’s US AQI.
As of 9am on Oct 7, 32 out of 68 monitoring stations nationwide were recording unhealthy air quality.
Cheras recorded an API of 189, while another Kuala Lumpur monitoring station stood at 177. Nearby areas were also badly affected, with Johan Setia at 190, Petaling Jaya at 176 and Putrajaya at 187.
Batu Pahat recorded the country’s highest official API reading at 197 that morning.
Under Malaysia’s API classification, readings from 101 to 200 are unhealthy, 201 to 300 are very unhealthy, while anything above 300 is considered hazardous.
