City report · Selangor, Malaysia
Setapak Air quality today
Air quality in Setapak currently reads AQI 88 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 88
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 28.9
- tree cover
- 15.7%
- trees in this area
- 49.0K
- more trees needed
- 44.6K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Seksyen 1 Wangsa Maju, 53300 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 14, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Setapak · AQI 88 (Moderate)
Setapak's tree count comes to 48,978 trees across 12.48 km² of land, 14 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 44,610 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Setapak today: AQI 88, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 12, 00:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Batu Muda,Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia, 5 km away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
28.9
PM10
36.1
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 Setapak's daily AQI at 92 on average, from 83 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 165 on Nov 6.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from Malaysia's API (IPU) · The full guide
Where Setapak stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Setapak: Critically low
15.7% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.48 km² of land.
Trees in this area
48,978
Target trees
93,588
More trees needed
44,610
CO₂ if planted / yr
981.4 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Setapak lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Setapak has lost about 2,140 hectares of forest (about 3,000 football pitches): 16% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (95%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km north of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 2,140 haabout 3,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 16%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 2,040 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is slowing down: about 64 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 105 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2004, when about 165 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 | 48 ha | under 1 ha | 49 ha |
| 2002 | 64 ha | under 1 ha | 65 ha |
| 2003 | 28 ha | under 1 ha | 28 ha |
| 2004 | 163 ha | 2 ha | 165 ha |
| 2005 | 122 ha | under 1 ha | 122 ha |
| 2006 | 96 ha | 2 ha | 98 ha |
| 2007 | 125 ha | 9 ha | 134 ha |
| 2008 | 128 ha | 5 ha | 133 ha |
| 2009 | 132 ha | 2 ha | 134 ha |
| 2010 | 90 ha | 2 ha | 92 ha |
| 2011 | 28 ha | 3 ha | 31 ha |
| 2012 | 33 ha | under 1 ha | 34 ha |
| 2013 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2014 | 126 ha | 12 ha | 138 ha |
| 2015 | 56 ha | 15 ha | 71 ha |
| 2016 | 116 ha | 11 ha | 127 ha |
| 2017 | 111 ha | 2 ha | 113 ha |
| 2018 | 126 ha | 3 ha | 129 ha |
| 2019 | 87 ha | under 1 ha | 87 ha |
| 2020 | 68 ha | under 1 ha | 69 ha |
| 2021 | 78 ha | 5 ha | 83 ha |
| 2022 | 37 ha | 10 ha | 47 ha |
| 2023 | 65 ha | 1 ha | 66 ha |
| 2024 | 64 ha | 6 ha | 70 ha |
| 2025 | 47 ha | 4 ha | 51 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Setapak?
- Towns and roadscleared for good66% · 1,410 ha
- Mining and energycleared for good18% · 376 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good12% · 253 ha
Also: logging, shifting farming, storms, floods and other natural causes, 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
- 17,000 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 16,500 ha
- Overall change
- −580 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Setapak shrank from about 17,000 hectares to 16,500 hectares, a net loss of about 580 hectares (−3.4%). New forest grew on about 917 hectares, but 1,500 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 Setapak
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Petaling Jaya17.4 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 16%
- Air quality
- 66
- Bukit Jalil18.3 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 83
- Bukit Rahman Putra18.5 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 38%
- Air quality
- 63
- Rawang21.0 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 39%
- Air quality
- 67
- Kampung Baru Subang22.4 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 66
- Kajang24.6 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 27%
- Air quality
- 83
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Frequently asked
Questions about Setapak
What is the air quality (AQI) in Setapak right now?
The latest reading for Setapak shows an AQI of 88 (Moderate), measured Nov 12, 00:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Batu Muda,Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia, 5 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Setapak today?
At AQI 88 (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 Setapak been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Setapak's daily AQI at 92 on average, from 83 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 165 on Nov 6. On 1 of those days the average was above 100, unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Setapak'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 Setapak lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Setapak has lost about 2,140 hectares of forest (about 3,000 football pitches): 16% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (95%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Forest loss is slowing down: about 64 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 105 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Setapak shrank from about 17,000 hectares to 16,500 hectares, a net loss of about 580 hectares (−3.4%). New forest grew on about 917 hectares, but 1,500 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Setapak?
Setapak has an estimated 48,978 trees across the 12.48 km² of land measured — 15.7% tree cover, 14 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Setapak need?
Setapak needs roughly 44,610 more trees to close a 14-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 981.4 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Setapak's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Seksyen 1 Wangsa Maju, 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 Seksyen 1 Wangsa Maju; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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