City report · Kedah, Malaysia
Sungai Petani Air quality today
Air quality in Sungai Petani currently reads AQI 52 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 52
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 9.4
- tree cover
- 29.0%
- trees in this area
- 91.0K
- more trees needed
- 3.1K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Taman Jubli Perak, 08000 Sungai Petani, Kedah, Malaysia (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Aug 3, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Sungai Petani · AQI 52 (Moderate)
Sungai Petani's tree count comes to 91,015 trees across 12.56 km² of land, 1 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 3,138 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Sungai Petani today: AQI 52, 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, 2.9 km away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
9.4
PM10
15.1
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 Sungai Petani's daily AQI at 58 on average, from 45 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 97 on Nov 4.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from Malaysia's API (IPU) · The full guide
Where Sungai Petani stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Sungai Petani: Below target
29.0% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.56 km² of land.
Trees in this area
91,015
Target trees
94,153
More trees needed
3,138
CO₂ if planted / yr
69.0 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Sungai Petani lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Sungai Petani has lost about 4,740 hectares of forest (about 6,600 football pitches): 42% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (98%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from March 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km northeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 4,740 haabout 6,600 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 42%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 4,670 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 127 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 157 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2014, when about 474 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 | 36 ha | under 1 ha | 36 ha |
| 2002 | 192 ha | 1 ha | 193 ha |
| 2003 | 35 ha | under 1 ha | 35 ha |
| 2004 | 369 ha | 3 ha | 372 ha |
| 2005 | 253 ha | 1 ha | 254 ha |
| 2006 | 257 ha | 3 ha | 260 ha |
| 2007 | 66 ha | under 1 ha | 67 ha |
| 2008 | 160 ha | 3 ha | 163 ha |
| 2009 | 284 ha | 3 ha | 287 ha |
| 2010 | 152 ha | 3 ha | 155 ha |
| 2011 | 98 ha | 8 ha | 106 ha |
| 2012 | 198 ha | 1 ha | 199 ha |
| 2013 | 400 ha | 3 ha | 403 ha |
| 2014 | 463 ha | 11 ha | 474 ha |
| 2015 | 315 ha | under 1 ha | 315 ha |
| 2016 | 177 ha | under 1 ha | 177 ha |
| 2017 | 136 ha | under 1 ha | 136 ha |
| 2018 | 135 ha | 16 ha | 151 ha |
| 2019 | 204 ha | 1 ha | 205 ha |
| 2020 | 115 ha | under 1 ha | 115 ha |
| 2021 | 106 ha | under 1 ha | 106 ha |
| 2022 | 101 ha | 9 ha | 110 ha |
| 2023 | 191 ha | 1 ha | 192 ha |
| 2024 | 92 ha | under 1 ha | 92 ha |
| 2025 | 130 ha | 7 ha | 137 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Sungai Petani?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good55% · 2,620 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good42% · 1,980 ha
- Mining and energycleared for good1.5% · 72 ha
Also: logging, 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
- 14,300 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 13,900 ha
- Overall change
- −347 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Sungai Petani shrank from about 14,300 hectares to 13,900 hectares, a net loss of about 347 hectares (−2.4%). New forest grew on about 3,070 hectares, but 3,410 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 Sungai Petani
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Kota Kuala Muda14.5 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 55
- Tasek Glugor18.6 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 58%
- Air quality
- 53
- Butterworth30.8 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 21%
- Air quality
- 54
- Bukit Mertajam31.7 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 42%
- Air quality
- 56
- Kulim32.4 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 57%
- Air quality
- 20
- Paya Terubong38.2 km
Malaysia
- Tree cover
- 79%
- Air quality
- 48
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Frequently asked
Questions about Sungai Petani
What is the air quality (AQI) in Sungai Petani right now?
The latest reading for Sungai Petani shows an AQI of 52 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 23:00 local time by the Bakar Arang, Sg. Petani, Kedah, Malaysia ground monitoring station, 2.9 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 Sungai Petani today?
At AQI 52 (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 Sungai Petani been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Sungai Petani's daily AQI at 58 on average, from 45 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 97 on Nov 4. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Sungai Petani'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 Sungai Petani lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Sungai Petani has lost about 4,740 hectares of forest (about 6,600 football pitches): 42% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (98%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 127 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 157 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Sungai Petani shrank from about 14,300 hectares to 13,900 hectares, a net loss of about 347 hectares (−2.4%). New forest grew on about 3,070 hectares, but 3,410 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Sungai Petani?
Sungai Petani has an estimated 91,015 trees across the 12.56 km² of land measured — 29.0% tree cover, 1 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Sungai Petani need?
Sungai Petani needs roughly 3,138 more trees to close a 1-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 69.0 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Sungai Petani's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Taman Jubli Perak, 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 Taman Jubli Perak; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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