Movement Control Order Impact on Air Pollution in Malaysia

Life in Pandemic Era Series

Abstract

Malaysian authorities have issued a Movement Control Order (MCO) aimed at isolating the source of the COVID-19 outbreak. Mitigation and control tactics for new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been widely implemented in a number of nations in an effort to halt the spread of this pandemic disease. Traffic congestion and industrial emissions have decreased as a result of people working from home and the suspension of certain companies. MCO restricted people's movement, which resulted in a reduction in the number of automobiles on the road, which may have improved the country's air quality. NO2 levels decreased by an average of 40% across the board, with the greatest reduction found in Kota Kinabalu (62%). The highest decreases in CO, O3, SO2, PM2.5 and PM10 were observed in Ipoh (27%), Kota Bharu (15%), Alor Star (38%), Kuantan (9.5%) and Kota Kinabalu (17%) accordingly. Each city had a hazard quotient (HQ) value of <1 indicating that there were no non-carcinogenic health impacts. This study demonstrates to regulatory agencies that reducing human activity greatly improves human health and reduces air pollution, and thus effective air pollution mitigation techniques can have a considerable influence, particularly in enhancing human health and reducing air pollution.

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