City report · Malaysia
Kuala Terengganu Air quality today
Air quality in Kuala Terengganu currently reads AQI 53 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 53
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 10.1
- tree cover
- 19.3%
- trees in this area
- 41.2K
- more trees needed
- 22.9K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Aug 27, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Kuala Terengganu · AQI 53 (Moderate)
Kuala Terengganu's tree count comes to 41,230 trees across 8.55 km² of land, 11 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 22,858 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Kuala Terengganu today: AQI 53, 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 · Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia, 3.3 km away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
10.1
PM10
17.3
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 Kuala Terengganu's daily AQI at 18 on average, from 13 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 44 on Nov 7.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from Malaysia's API (IPU) · The full guide
Where Kuala Terengganu stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Kuala Terengganu: Below target
19.3% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 8.55 km² of land.
Trees in this area
41,230
Target trees
64,088
More trees needed
22,858
CO₂ if planted / yr
502.9 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Kuala Terengganu lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kuala Terengganu has lost about 771 hectares of forest (about 1,100 football pitches): 16% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (over 99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from April 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km west of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 771 haabout 1,100 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 16%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 769 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2016, when about 90 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 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2002 | 17 ha | under 1 ha | 17 ha |
| 2003 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2004 | 17 ha | under 1 ha | 17 ha |
| 2005 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2006 | 18 ha | under 1 ha | 18 ha |
| 2007 | 71 ha | under 1 ha | 72 ha |
| 2008 | 15 ha | under 1 ha | 15 ha |
| 2009 | 18 ha | under 1 ha | 18 ha |
| 2010 | 23 ha | under 1 ha | 23 ha |
| 2011 | 28 ha | under 1 ha | 28 ha |
| 2012 | 54 ha | under 1 ha | 54 ha |
| 2013 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2014 | 74 ha | under 1 ha | 74 ha |
| 2015 | 39 ha | under 1 ha | 39 ha |
| 2016 | 90 ha | under 1 ha | 90 ha |
| 2017 | 40 ha | under 1 ha | 41 ha |
| 2018 | 33 ha | under 1 ha | 33 ha |
| 2019 | 15 ha | under 1 ha | 15 ha |
| 2020 | 32 ha | under 1 ha | 32 ha |
| 2021 | 25 ha | under 1 ha | 25 ha |
| 2022 | 21 ha | under 1 ha | 21 ha |
| 2023 | 39 ha | under 1 ha | 39 ha |
| 2024 | 56 ha | under 1 ha | 56 ha |
| 2025 | 28 ha | under 1 ha | 28 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Kuala Terengganu?
- Towns and roadscleared for good76% · 583 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good24% · 183 ha
Also: mining and energy, 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
- 6,470 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 6,220 ha
- Overall change
- −252 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kuala Terengganu shrank from about 6,470 hectares to 6,220 hectares, a net loss of about 252 hectares (−3.9%). New forest grew on about 317 hectares, but 569 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 Kuala Terengganu
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Pasir Puteh99.3 km
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- Air quality
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- Kuala Krai106.6 km
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- Air quality
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- Kota Bharu132.8 km
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- Air quality
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- Pasir Mas136.6 km
Malaysia
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- Air quality
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- Kuantan170.5 km
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- Air quality
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- Maran198.2 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
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- Air quality
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Frequently asked
Questions about Kuala Terengganu
What is the air quality (AQI) in Kuala Terengganu right now?
The latest reading for Kuala Terengganu shows an AQI of 53 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 23:00 local time by the Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia ground monitoring station, 3.3 km away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Kuala Terengganu today?
At AQI 53 (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 Kuala Terengganu been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Kuala Terengganu's daily AQI at 18 on average, from 13 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 44 on Nov 7. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Kuala Terengganu'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 Kuala Terengganu lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kuala Terengganu has lost about 771 hectares of forest (about 1,100 football pitches): 16% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (over 99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kuala Terengganu shrank from about 6,470 hectares to 6,220 hectares, a net loss of about 252 hectares (−3.9%). New forest grew on about 317 hectares, but 569 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Kuala Terengganu?
Kuala Terengganu has an estimated 41,230 trees across the 8.55 km² of land measured — 19.3% tree cover, 11 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Kuala Terengganu need?
Kuala Terengganu needs roughly 22,858 more trees to close a 11-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 502.9 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Kuala Terengganu's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Kuala Terengganu, 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 Kuala Terengganu; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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