KUALA LUMPUR - Air quality in most parts of Malaysia was moderate on Saturday morning (Sept 5) , with some places recording good Air Pollutant Index (API).

There was no unhealthy API reading recorded at 11am, according to the Department of Environment website .

There were 38 areas with moderate API readings, while 15 others recorded good readings.

The API reading in all areas in Sabah, including Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan and Tawau, was good at 11am. The air quality in some parts of Sarawak, such as Miri and Kuching, was also good.

Moderate readings were recorded at two areas in the federal capital, namely, Batu Muda and Cheras, and Putrajaya.

Moderate readings were also recorded in most areas in Johor, Kedah, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Penang, Terengganu, and Sarawak.

Meantime in Indonesia, the authorities said they were stepping up efforts to battle haze, but critics said more helicopters and planes were needed.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has deployed three more helicopters to fight the haze-producing fires in Sumatra, bringing the total number to 13, but some environmentalists said that was still far too few.

The haze is making life miserable for as many as 22.6 million residents in Sumatra and three million in Kalimantan. It has blanketed 80 per cent of Sumatra, BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said on Friday (Sept 4).

Winds have blown the haze to parts of Malaysia and Singapore.