City report · Kedah, Malaysia
Kota Kuala Muda Air quality today
Air quality in Kota Kuala Muda currently reads AQI 55 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 55
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 11.2
- tree cover
- 29.1%
- trees in this area
- 89.9K
- more trees needed
- 2.8K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Kampung Permatang Nyior, 08500 Kota Kuala Muda, Kedah, Malaysia (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Aug 23, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Kota Kuala Muda · AQI 55 (Moderate)
Kota Kuala Muda's tree count comes to 89,866 trees across 12.36 km² of land, 1 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 2,779 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Kota Kuala Muda today: AQI 55, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 23:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Bakar Arang, Sg. Petani, Kedah, Malaysia, 11.7 km away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
11.2
PM10
16.8
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: World Air Quality Index Project, Malaysia Department of Environment (DOE); Air Polluant Index Management System
- Outdoor exercise
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier
- Windows
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution
- Mask
- Not needed for most people
- Air purifier
- Worth running if you are sensitive
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Kota Kuala Muda's daily AQI at 55 on average, from 45 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 78 on Nov 6.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from Malaysia's API (IPU) · The full guide
Where Kota Kuala Muda stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Kota Kuala Muda: Below target
29.1% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.36 km² of land.
Trees in this area
89,866
Target trees
92,645
More trees needed
2,779
CO₂ if planted / yr
61.1 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Kota Kuala Muda lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kota Kuala Muda has lost about 992 hectares of forest (about 1,400 football pitches): 17% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (95%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from April 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km east of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 992 haabout 1,400 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 17%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 939 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2010, when about 116 hectares of forest were lost.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 5 ha | 3 ha | 7 ha |
| 2002 | 15 ha | 2 ha | 16 ha |
| 2003 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2004 | 17 ha | under 1 ha | 18 ha |
| 2005 | 16 ha | 1 ha | 17 ha |
| 2006 | 19 ha | 3 ha | 22 ha |
| 2007 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2008 | 64 ha | 2 ha | 66 ha |
| 2009 | 74 ha | 4 ha | 78 ha |
| 2010 | 116 ha | under 1 ha | 116 ha |
| 2011 | 32 ha | 8 ha | 40 ha |
| 2012 | 81 ha | 13 ha | 94 ha |
| 2013 | 24 ha | under 1 ha | 24 ha |
| 2014 | 87 ha | 3 ha | 90 ha |
| 2015 | 49 ha | under 1 ha | 50 ha |
| 2016 | 26 ha | under 1 ha | 27 ha |
| 2017 | 33 ha | 2 ha | 35 ha |
| 2018 | 30 ha | under 1 ha | 30 ha |
| 2019 | 42 ha | 2 ha | 43 ha |
| 2020 | 20 ha | 1 ha | 21 ha |
| 2021 | 39 ha | under 1 ha | 39 ha |
| 2022 | 24 ha | 1 ha | 26 ha |
| 2023 | 49 ha | under 1 ha | 49 ha |
| 2024 | 49 ha | under 1 ha | 50 ha |
| 2025 | 17 ha | 4 ha | 21 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Kota Kuala Muda?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good69% · 685 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good24% · 239 ha
- Storms, floods and other natural causescan grow back4% · 39 ha
Also: mining and energy, logging, shifting farming, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 5,960 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 5,920 ha
- Overall change
- −42 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kota Kuala Muda stayed about the same size, at about 5,920 hectares: new forest grew on about 530 hectares, and about 572 hectares were lost.
These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
These figures cover everything within 10 km of the city center, a wider area than the report above, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
Source: Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA, Global Forest Change (GFC-2025-v1.13); causes: WRI/Google DeepMind drivers of forest loss; both CC BY 4.0, summed by Airleaf for each area. Forest gained and lost 2000–2020: Potapov et al. 2022, UMD GLAD Global Land Cover and Land Use Change, CC BY 4.0. Images: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data. How it's measured
In the same region
Measured cities near Kota Kuala Muda
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Sungai Petani14.5 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 52
- Tasek Glugor18.5 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 58%
- Air quality
- 53
- Butterworth21.0 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 21%
- Air quality
- 54
- Paya Terubong26.0 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 79%
- Air quality
- 48
- Bukit Mertajam27.2 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 42%
- Air quality
- 56
- Kulim32.6 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 57%
- Air quality
- 20
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Frequently asked
Questions about Kota Kuala Muda
What is the air quality (AQI) in Kota Kuala Muda right now?
The latest reading for Kota Kuala Muda shows an AQI of 55 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 23:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Bakar Arang, Sg. Petani, Kedah, Malaysia, 11.7 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Kota Kuala Muda today?
At AQI 55 (Moderate): fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier. Windows: fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution. Masks: not needed for most people. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Kota Kuala Muda been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Kota Kuala Muda's daily AQI at 55 on average, from 45 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 78 on Nov 6. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Kota Kuala Muda's AQI the same as Malaysia's API (IPU)?
No. Airleaf shows the US EPA Air Quality Index (AQI), the scale used by IQAir and most air-quality apps. Malaysia's Department of Environment (Jabatan Alam Sekitar) publishes its own Air Pollutant Index, the API or Indeks Pencemar Udara (IPU), every hour for each of its monitoring stations on APIMS (apims.doe.gov.my). Both scales call 0–50 good and 51–100 moderate; above that the IPU runs 101–200 unhealthy, 201–300 very unhealthy and over 300 hazardous. The two use different breakpoints and averaging times, so the numbers for the same hour often differ. For the official IPU reading, check the nearest station on APIMS.
How much forest has the area around Kota Kuala Muda lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kota Kuala Muda has lost about 992 hectares of forest (about 1,400 football pitches): 17% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (95%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kota Kuala Muda stayed about the same size, at about 5,920 hectares: new forest grew on about 530 hectares, and about 572 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Kota Kuala Muda?
Kota Kuala Muda has an estimated 89,866 trees across the 12.36 km² of land measured — 29.1% tree cover, 1 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Kota Kuala Muda need?
Kota Kuala Muda needs roughly 2,779 more trees to close a 1-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 61.1 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Kota Kuala Muda's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Kampung Permatang Nyior, via OpenAQ; the 7-day trend is the Open-Meteo / CAMS model's estimate. Tree cover is measured from Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search satellite imagery at 10 m detail across a 2 km radius around Kampung Permatang Nyior; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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