KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 23 -- The haze picture shifted across peninsular Malaysia this afternoon, with Sungai Petani worsening and five other areas creeping towards unhealthy levels, while Sarawak remained the country's worst-affected region.

Worsening

Sungai Petani in Kedah recorded an Air Pollutant Index (API) reading of 153 at 5pm, up from 140 at 9am.

Johan Setia in Selangor also worsened slightly, climbing from 157 to 160 and remaining the highest reading in the peninsula.

Improving

Taiping in Perak, meanwhile, improved from 121 at 9am to 112 at 5pm, but remained in the unhealthy category.

Creeping towards unhealthy

Five locations were now hovering close to the unhealthy threshold, with Klang recording 95, Banting and Putrajaya 93 e...