Malaysian Meteorological Department deputy director Leong Chow Peng said winds were carrying smoke haze from forest fires in Indonesia's Sumatra and Borneo islands.

"There must be some burning activities and the condition now will depend on the number of hotspots in this region," Leong told AFP.

Malaysia's environment department said Monday morning that the air pollution index in an area east of the capital Kuala Lumpur was at a moderate level of 92.

A blanket of yellowish smoke hung over the city Monday, while its iconic Petronas Twin Towers were barely visible. Kuala Lumpur's air pollution index was up from 61 on Sunday evening to 69 on Monday.

An "unhealthy" reading is anything between 101 and 200, while a moderate reading is between 51 and 100.

Along Malaysia's west coast which faces Sumatra, the air pollution index in Port Klang, Malaysia's biggest port, was at 85.

The environment department said satellite images showed some 500 "hot spots" or fires in Sumatra island and in Kalimantan on Borneo island.

Burning in Indonesia and some parts of Malaysia to clear land for crops causes an annual haze that afflicts countries in the region, including Singapore and Thailand.

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