‘Somebody has to pay’: Serian chief says Sarawakians are fed up with yearly haze from Kalimantan Barat

Serian District Council chairman Dato Peter Minos has expressed his exasperation over the deteriorating haze situation in his town, claiming that the majestic mountain view has been obscured by the thick smoke. Minos stated that Serian is experiencing its most severe haze episode in recent years, which he attributes to smoke carried by the wind from Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia.

The situation has reached a critical point, with the Air Pollutant Index (API) in Serian soaring to 202 on Wednesday, a level deemed "very unhealthy".

The health crisis caused by the haze has been particularly severe for Serian's young children and elderly residents, who are most vulnerable to the harmful effects of the polluted air. All schools in the district have been forced to close due to the deteriorating air quality, leaving families wondering when normalcy will be restored.

Minos questioned the lack of action from authorities in Kalimantan Barat, particularly in their ability to control open burning activities, such as those carried out by large oil palm plantations during the planting season.

He pointed out that despite Malaysians adhering to stricter regulations against open burning, the authorities in Kalimantan Barat appear to be more lenient. Minos expressed the frustration of Sarawakians, who are "unhappy and fed up" with the recurring haze. He emphasized that the haze is a man-made problem, not a natural occurrence, and therefore someone must be held accountable for it.