The unrelenting smog from fires in Indonesia worsened this morning as Shah Alam, Selangor hit the 'hazardous' level with an Air Pollutant Index (API) of 308.

Meanwhile this morning six other areas in Selangor, Federal Territories and Seremban, recorded very unhealthy readings.

However the haze conditions eased slightly in the afternoon with Shah Alam readings dropping down to 249.

However most of the areas mentioned except Seremban still recorded very unhealthy API levels.

According to The Star , the situation this morning forced three airports - Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang, Sultan Abdul Halim Airport in Alor Setar and Sultan Azlan Shah Airport in Ipoh - to close due to poor visibility.

However Bernama reported that the three airports have since reopened for operations in the afternoon.

It has also forced schools to close nationwide for two days starting tomorrow, except for Kelantan, Sarawak and Sabah.

Worst in the morning

At 6am, the Department of Environment’s (DOE) website showed readings for the affected regions to have breached the 200 or ‘very unhealthy’ zone, and on the rise.

These were Seremban (201), Banting (230), Port Klang (214), Petaling Jaya (230), Shah Alam (276), Batu Muda, Kuala Lumpur (289) and Putrajaya (220).

Unhealthy to moderate readings were also observed nationwide except in areas in Sabah and Sarawak.

Yesterday the annual marathon scheduled for this morning in Kuala Lumpur was cancelled due to the worsening situation, while in previous weeks the haze forced schools to close in several states.

An API reading of 0 to 50 indicates good air quality; 51 to 100, moderate; 101 to 200, unhealthy; 201 to 300, very unhealthy and 300 and above, hazardous.

The public can access updates through apims.doe.gov.my .