Air quality in Kluang

How bad is the air pollution in Kluang?

Much like the rest of Malaysia, Kluang has fairly decent levels of air quality most of the year round, with moderate readings of air pollution coming if for the majority of the its months, albeit on the lower side of the classification. To be classed as moderate in terms of the level of smoke, pollution and haze present in the air, a rating of anywhere between 12.1 to 35.4 µg/m³ is required. Kluang came in with a PM2.5 reading of 14.1 µg/m³ as an average taken over the year of 2019. It is important to note that there is a substantial amount of data lacking in the years prior to this regarding PM2.5 concentration readings, although historically it would follow a similar pattern to many of the cities in Malaysia, with clean to moderate ratings coming in year round and then a sudden spike in the latter part of the year due to the haze caused by fires drifting in from Indonesia (as well as locally, but on a much smaller scale), skewing its yearly average In the one month alone, usually September, although it can spill over into the adjacent months of August and October during particularly persistent spells.

However, three months out of the year (once again recorded in 2019) came in with a good rating in terms of its air quality, with one-month (December) coming in with a very appreciable reading of 6.1 µg/m³, putting it inside the World Health Organization’s (WHO) target rating of 0 to 10 µg/m³ of PM2.5 present, a number that can be quite hard to achieve for a landlocked Asian city with large amounts of industrial sectors present, as well as a high vehicle concentration. To conclude, the air quality and level of pollution on Kluang is on the lower end of the moderate scale, however due to sudden rises occurring during certain times of the year, it is always good to stay up to date with AQI readings so that individuals residing there can make educated choices on how to keep themselves safe during bouts of lowered air quality.

What are the main sources of bad air quality present in Kluang?

The main pollutants that would be of concern in Kluang are the variety of chemicals and compounds that make up the emissions from cars, buses and the industrial sector. Pollutants of particular note would be ones such as Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) which comes mainly from engine combustion, and is so prevalent in vehicular emissions that its readings can be used to determine how much of the air pollution is actually coming from cars and other vehicles. Another one of note would be Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), finding its way into the atmosphere via the burning of fossil fuels, including coal and natural gases, their primary emission coming from the generation of electricity from power stations that still run on the aforementioned fossil fuels.

There are numerous other pollutants that find their way into the air via the smoke given off by cars and industrial processes, all finding their creation in a similar manner, namely the burning but incomplete chemical combustion of gas, coal and other organic materials such as coal. A byproduct of incomplete combustion are dangerous materials such as black carbon (BC), the key component of soot that has a high number of health effects when inhaled as well as contributing to climate related issues such as global warming. With a relatively high concentration of factories and production facilities present in Kluang, such as electrical and wood industries, garments and packaging factories all found within the city limits, the ambient levels of pollution given off by them would combine with the vehicular emissions to create a level of pollution that is far higher than it should be naturally, considering the high levels of humidity and rain that Malaysia experiences, as well as the dense vegetation and forest land that covers a majority of the country, often surrounding many small cities including Kluang.

When does Kluang have its highest levels of pollution?

Kluang finds itself suffering from its highest levels of reduced air quality in the same month when all cities in Malaysia find themselves in a problematic state, in regards to the level of haze and smog that can permeate the atmosphere and bring many activities such as travel and flight to a standstill, as well as obscuring buildings and other landmarks that would normally be visible from a distance, particularly in larger cities such as Kuala Lumpur.

This month is September, and going by the data found on the 2019 PM2.5 readings chart, Kluang reached a reading of 27 µg/m³, a number that is nearly double of its yearly average of 14.1 µg/m³. However, the months following this saw a rapid decline in levels of air pollution and an overall improvement on the air quality index (AQI) or air pollution index (API) as it is known locally. To follow, the next month of October came in with a PM2.5 reading of 12.7 µg/m³, followed by 11.2 µg/m³ in November, and then finally ending on a high note of 6.1 µg/m³ in December. These periods of lower readings would come as a much-needed respite after the high pollution reading taken in September, with a gratifying cleaner level of air, particularly for those who are affected more significantly by air pollution such as young children, the elderly and people with poor immune systems.

What are the health effects of breathing polluted air in Kluang?

There would be numerous effects on a person’s health from breathing polluted air, with a high number of studies having already been conducted on the detrimental effects that breathing fine particulate matter such as PM2.5 and PM10 can have. Health issues include, but are not limited to: an increase in the risk of lung cancers, as well as chances of developing respiratory related diseases such as bronchitis or emphysema , chest and throat infections, and due to the extremely small size of PM2.5 and its ability to enter the bloodstream, other issues such as heart diseases and increased risk of cardiac events such as heart attacks would be entirely possible. However due to Kluang not having an overwhelmingly high level of pollution, all of the aforementioned ailments would be at a fairly lower risk of developing, unless of course there is a large spike in pollution, and as such careful monitoring of PM2.5 and other pollutant levels should be monitored, through the use of air visual maps and Apps such as AirVisual, showing daily updates on the levels of pollution in the air.

What is being done about the level of air pollution in Kluang?

As with all cities in Malaysia, initiatives are being taken to reduce the reliance on use of personal vehicles and to tend the population towards furthered use of public transport or carpooling. On an international scale, an increased cracking down on slash and burn farming practices across Asia are being implemented, but often times with limited levels of success due to the difficulty of enforcing such laws. With data taken during the year of 2020, the COVID-19 era, showing the massive drops in pollution levels due to movement control orders being issued, it stands to reason that with a reduction in the usage of cars, a direct correlation in pollution levels is observed, and as such further initiatives to reduce the number of cars on the road would have great success in reducing the overall levels of pollution and PM2.5 in the air, as well as improving the AQI rating in Kluang and indeed countrywide.