Urbanisation and Air Quality in Malaysia

The growth of urbanisation has had a significant impact on air quality in Malaysia particularly in the Federal Capital, Kuala Lumpur, and the Klang Valley conurbation. While the levels of air pollution are still relatively low when compared to those of some large world cities, these have already exceeded the WHO standards and the Malaysian Guideline recommended levels. There are legislation and other mitigating measures available but these have not been sufficiently effective to contain the problem. A comprehensive approach to include more stringent enforcement of existing legislation, higher penalties for non-compliance, public awareness and environmental education is needed in order to ensure an acceptable level of air quality in urban areas. In view of the multi-functional nature of trees, a National Urban Forestry Policy has been proposed. This will provide a useful framework to enhance tree planting efforts throughout all urban areas in the country which will help moderate both air pollution and excessive heat island formation. ABSTRAK Pertumbuhan bandar mempunyai impak penting terhadap kualiti udara di Malaysia terutama di ibu negara Kuala Lumpur dan Lembah Klang. Walaupun paras pencemaran udara masih relatif rendah berbanding dengan bandar-bandar raya lain di dunia, namun ini telah pun jauh melebihi piawai Pertubuhan  Kesihatan Sedunia (WHO) dan paras panduan yang dicadangkan bagi Malaysia. Undang-undang dan langkah- langkah kawalan tidak cukup berkesan untuk membendung masalah ini. Suatu pendekatan yang lebih menyeluruh melibatkan penguatkuasaan undang-undang yang lebih ketat, denda yang lebih tinggi, kesedaran awam dan pendidikan alam sekitar diperlukan bagi. mempastikan paras kualiti udara yang boleh diterima di kawasan bandar. Berdasarkan kepada fungsi pokok yang berbagai-bagai, suatu Polisi Perhutanan Bandar Kebangsaan dicadangkan. Ini akan bertindak sebagai suatu rangka bagi menggalakkan penanaman pokok di kesemua kawasan bandar dan membantu menyederhanakan pencemaran udara dan pembentukan pulau haba.