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Malaysia · Air quality

Air quality in Malaysia: where to check and what to do

Check Malaysia's Air Pollutant Index (IPU) on the DOE's MyEQMS portal. From 101 (Unhealthy), high-risk people should limit time outdoors.

Updated 2026-10-27· 8 official sources· Baca dalam bahasa Melayu

Short answer. Malaysia reports air quality with the Air Pollutant Index, IPU (Indeks Pencemaran Udara). The Ministry of Health's IPU page points to the Department of Environment's MyEQMS portal for current readings 12. From 101 (Tidak sihat, Unhealthy), high-risk people should limit outdoor activity and wear a mask outside; from 201, everyone should avoid strenuous outdoor activity and wear a mask 3.

Where can I check air quality right now?

On MyEQMS, the portal of the Department of Environment (Jabatan Alam Sekitar, JAS) at eqms.doe.gov.my 2; the Department's former API site, apims.doe.gov.my, now leads there. The index is calculated from six pollutants (SO2, NO2, CO, ozone, PM2.5 and PM10), the dominant one sets the value, and readings are updated hourly 8. The Ministry of Health (KKM) sends readers of its "latest IPU readings" page straight to that portal 1. The Ministry's general haze advice also asks people to keep up with the latest information in the media and to follow the authorities' advice 3.

What do the index levels mean?

The Department of Environment's index table uses five bands: 0-50 Good, 51-100 Moderate, 101-200 Unhealthy, 201-300 Very unhealthy, above 300 Hazardous 7. The Ministry of Health's haze advice, a 2013 document, ties each band to health measures and adds an Emergency level above 500 3:

IPU Status What the Ministry advises 3
0 – 50 Baik (Good) No restriction on activities for anyone.
51 – 100 Sederhana (Moderate) No restriction on activities for anyone.
101 – 200 Tidak sihat (Unhealthy) High-risk people limit outdoor activities and wear a mask outside; everyone reduces strenuous outdoor activities.
201 – 300 Sangat tidak menyihatkan (Very unhealthy) Everyone avoids strenuous outdoor activities and wears a mask outside; high-risk people stay in a house or building and reduce physical activity; people with health problems see a doctor.
301 – 500 Berbahaya (Hazardous) High-risk people stay indoors; as far as possible, everyone stays inside a building or house and wears a mask outside.
Above 500 Darurat (Emergency) As for 301 – 400, and follow the instructions of the National Security Council (MKN).

High-risk people, in the Ministry's words, include children, older people, pregnant women, people with heart or respiratory disease, people sensitive to dust, smokers and people who work outdoors 3. See Air quality index explained.

How polluted is the air on average?

The population-weighted median of Malaysian cities shows about 19 µg/m³ of PM2.5 (annual mean 2021-2023) 4, almost four times the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³ 6. Nitrogen dioxide is about 10.1 µg/m³ 5, just above the WHO guideline of 10 µg/m³ 6. That NO2 figure is a regional background over roughly 80 km: a busy street will be higher.

What should I do during haze or on a bad air day?

The Ministry of Health's general advice during haze (jerebu) 3:

  • stay inside buildings as much as possible and reduce strenuous outdoor activity;
  • drink plenty of water and wash your face and exposed skin often;
  • in an air-conditioned car, set the air conditioning to recirculate and close all windows;
  • cover your nose and mouth when outdoors, especially if you are high-risk;
  • go to a clinic quickly if a cough, cold, asthma, sore eyes or a chronic lung infection gets worse;
  • smokers are advised to stop.

See Wildfire smoke, Masks for smoke, A clean-air room at home, Sensitive people and polluted air and Children and polluted air. For other kinds of episode, see Pollution episodes and Dust storms. Official warnings for other hazards are on our Malaysia alerts page.

A household plan can note who in your home is high-risk and which room you would keep closed during haze.

Frequently asked questions

What IPU level is unhealthy in Malaysia?

101 to 200 is "Tidak sihat" (Unhealthy) 37; 201 to 300 is "Sangat tidak menyihatkan" (Very unhealthy) 37.

When should I wear a mask during haze?

From IPU 101, high-risk people should wear one outside; from 201, everyone should 3.

What happens above IPU 500?

The status is "Darurat" (Emergency): follow the instructions of the National Security Council and keep up with the news 3.

Where do I see the current IPU?

On the Department of Environment's MyEQMS portal, eqms.doe.gov.my 12.

Sources

  1. Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (KKM) — Status Bacaan Indeks Pencemaran Udara (IPU) Terkini (archived copy of 15 May 2026) — http://web.archive.org/web/20260515172302/https://www.moh.gov.my/en/core/health-information/jerebu/artikel-dan-panduan-pengguna-berkaitan-jerebu/status-bacaan-indeks-pencemaran-udara-ipu-terkini (accessed 2026-10-27)
  2. Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS, Department of Environment) — MyEQMS — https://eqms.doe.gov.my/ (accessed 2026-10-27)
  3. Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (KKM) — Nasihat Kesihatan Ketika Jerebu (PDF dated 25 June 2013; archived copy of 8 September 2025) — http://web.archive.org/web/20250908152016/https://www.moh.gov.my/moh/attachments/8660.pdf (accessed 2026-10-27)
  4. Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group (ACAG), Washington University in St. Louis — Surface PM2.5, V6.GL.02.04 (annual mean 2021-2023) — https://sites.wustl.edu/acag/datasets/surface-pm2-5/ (accessed 2026-10-27)
  5. Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) — CAMS global reanalysis (EAC4) — https://ads.atmosphere.copernicus.eu/ (accessed 2026-10-27)
  6. World Health Organization (WHO) — WHO global air quality guidelines (2021) — https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240034228 (accessed 2026-10-27)
  7. Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS, Department of Environment) — API Table [Hourly] (APIMS, archived copy of 9 October 2023) — http://web.archive.org/web/20231009103853/https://apims.doe.gov.my/api_table.html (accessed 2026-10-27)
  8. Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS, Department of Environment) — About API (APIMS, archived copy of 29 September 2022) — http://web.archive.org/web/20220929102433/http://apims.doe.gov.my/aboutapi.html (accessed 2026-10-27)

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Sources

  1. Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (KKM) · Status Bacaan Indeks Pencemaran Udara (IPU) Terkini (archived copy of 15 May 2026) checked 2026-10-27
  2. Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS, Department of Environment) · MyEQMS checked 2026-10-27
  3. Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (KKM) · Nasihat Kesihatan Ketika Jerebu (PDF dated 25 June 2013; archived copy of 8 September 2025) checked 2026-10-27
  4. Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group (ACAG), Washington University in St. Louis · Surface PM2.5, V6.GL.02.04 (annual mean 2021-2023) checked 2026-10-27
  5. Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) · CAMS global reanalysis (EAC4) checked 2026-10-27
  6. World Health Organization (WHO) · WHO global air quality guidelines (2021) checked 2026-10-27
  7. Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS, Department of Environment) · API Table [Hourly] (APIMS, archived copy of 9 October 2023) checked 2026-10-27
  8. Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS, Department of Environment) · About API (APIMS, archived copy of 29 September 2022) checked 2026-10-27