By Siti Rohaizah Zainal
SHAH ALAM, July 21 — Schools in Selangor have been reminded to suspend all outdoor activities if the Air Pollutant Index (API) in their respective area records an unhealthy reading of above 100, as air quality nationwide continues to deteriorate.
State Education director Jafri Abu said schools must adhere to existing guidelines to ensure the health and safety of all students.
"All schools, including district education offices (PPD), have been provided with a circular outlining the necessary steps to be taken should the API reading in their area reach unhealthy or hazardous levels.
“I urge the PPDs and schools to review the circular carefully, and if the reading reaches the unhealthy level of 101, avoid conducting outdoor activities,” he told Media Selangor.
Jafri said school closure is only permitted if the API reading reaches the very unhealthy level of 201, adding that the State Education Department is constantly monitoring the current situation and API readings.
Air quality nationwide continues to worsen this morning, with eight air quality monitoring stations nationwide recording unhealthy readings as of 9am.
Two of those were in Selangor, namely Banting (155) and Johan Setia (151).
Alor Gajah in Melaka recorded the highest reading at 160. Other locations with unhealthy readings were Temerloh, Pahang (156), Nilai, Negeri Sembilan (155), Kemaman, Terengganu (153), Cheras, Kuala Lumpur (151), and Putrajaya (124).
An API reading of zero to 50 indicates good air quality, 51-100 moderate, 101-200 unhealthy, 201-300 very unhealthy and above 300 hazardous.
The Meteorological Department had said on Saturday that the poor air quality in Malaysia is due to cross-border haze carried by south-westerly winds, with 79 hotspots identified in Sumatera, Indonesia.
