1. Air Quality Management Initiatives for Kuala Lumpur: A study of stakeholder roles, emission sources, and vulnerable populations
Dr. Scott Kennedy
Energy & Environment Program
Malaysia University of Science and Technology

2. Background in Malaysia
Motor vehicles are primary aggravators of air quality (DOE, 2005)
CO (98% from transport sector)
NOx (59% from transport)
Particulate Matter (31% from transport)
SO2 (7% from transport)
Hydrocarbons (major contributor)
Rapid growth in automotive fleet
Source: Road Transport Department Malaysia, 2003

3. Objectives of study
Assess vehicular emissions loading at three urban hot-spots using CO as indicator,
Survey population to infer the relative exposure, awareness, ability to avoid health risk of vulnerable populations,
To investigate and identify the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders in AQM.

4. Annual Average PM10 concentration, 1996 – 2004
Source: DOE, 2004

5. Annual Average PM10 concentration by land use
Source: DOE, 2004

6. Sample Kerbside PM10 Concentrations
Malaysian Ambient Air Quality Guideline (24 hour average)
Severe Haze Episode
24-hour average concentrations data near Kota Raya Station
July 12 – Nov 27 (measurement every 6 days)
Simultaneous CO and PM10 data not available
Source: DOE, cited by Kee, 2006

7. Carbon Monoxide Monitoring
Site location
Time interval
Duration of continuous monitoring
Site 1 (Kota Raya)
30 seconds
27 April until 5 May 2006
Site 2 (Kerinchi)
31 May until 28 June 2006
Site 3 (Klang Bus Station)
28 June until 26 July 2006.
Langan T15n enhanced CO measurer
Kerbside ventilated metal box
Human exposure height (1.6 to 1.8 meters).

8. Klang Bus Stand
Kg. Kerinchi
Kota Raya

9. CO Monitoring Kg. Kerinchi – Residential Area
AQ guidelines: 9ppm (8-hour average)
Exceedence: 14 days (48%)
30 second / 1-hour / 8-hour averaging
8-hour averages

10. CO Monitoring Average Daily Profile
Average daily profile for all sites

11. Exposed Population Survey
Sample: 275 respondents at 3 sites
Data collected:
Socioeconomic details;
Duration of exposure;
Perception of air pollution and health risks;
Transportation options for the exposed population.
Gender: Male (45%), Female (55%)
Age: 20 – 30 yrs old (57%)
Income: No income (46%), < RM 2,000/month (41%).
Duration: Women (3.2 hr/week), Men (7.7 hr/week)
Summary: Higher concern and higher certainty of negative health effects among women, highly educated and higher income respondents
Results: Summary of Survey
Preliminary survey for validating approach

12. Exposed Population Survey Results: Ability to Avoid Risk
Men have more access to cars
Priority of car use in households

13. Recommendations
Low number of kerbside air quality monitoring stations in urban areas
Limited knowledge of kerbside air quality
Monitoring changes very difficult.
No current work on speciation of particulate matter
Evolution of particulates from transboundary or local origin to final deposition unknown.
Limited technical expertise in dispersion modeling, especially at meso-scale
Dominated by private consultants for EIA reports
Frequently not available to the public.
Emissions inventories need further refinement
Accurate meso-scale modeling not possible.
Vehicle emissions factors not yet developed for Malaysia
Difficult to link CO to PM and other vehicle emissions.

14. Recommendations
Few health and environmental damage assessments emphasize local emission sources
Most focus on transboundary haze
Heavy reliance on foreign technical assistance for integrated assessments of air pollution sources and air quality improvement options
No dissemination of previous studies, minimal capacity building
Inter-agency board/committee needs to coordinate future studies, build local expertise
No agency taking responsibility for emissions from private vehicles
Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board handles commercial vehicles
Road Transport Department in the MoT not involved in AQM

15. Recommendations
Implementation agencies view air quality management as responsibility of DOE and outside their domain
Examples: CVLB, Road Transport Department, DBKL (not including Environment Dept.) and Ministry of Health.
EPU experienced in inter-agency coordination and policy formulation but no staff dedicated to air quality management issues.
NGO community in Malaysia not involved
No strong advocate for improving dissemination of air quality information and assisting vulnerable populations in hot-spot pollution areas.

16. Proposed AQM supervisory body for Kuala Lumpur Metro Area
Air Quality Management Board
Policy development and option assessment
Environmental agency:
Air quality assessment
Health agency:
Environment and health damage assessment
Urban, industrial and transport planning agencies:
Implementation
Research institutions:
Research and development

17. References
DOE (2005). Malaysia Environmental Quality Report 2004, Department of Environment.
MOT, Transport Statistics, Ministry of Transport. Available: (October 2006).
Kee W.F. (2006). “Micro-scale modeling of air pollutants from mobile sources: A case study in Kuala Lumpur City”, MSc Thesis, Malaysia University of Science and Technology.