Air quality deteriorates, Serian records hazardous reading

Air quality in several Malaysian regions, particularly in Sarawak, Sabah, and Labuan, has worsened, reaching hazardous levels according to the air pollutant index (API). In Serian, Sarawak, the API reading skyrocketed to 391, marking it as the most polluted area. Four other Sarawakian locations also reported very unhealthy air quality, with Kuching at 285, Sri Aman at 275, Samarahan at 274, and Sarikei at 206.

The deteriorating air quality is attributed to haze originating from various directions, especially from Kalimantan and Sumatra. The Environment Department (DoE) deputy director-general, Azuri Azizah Saedon, noted that as of 5 PM, 14 areas classified as unhealthy and 45 as moderate. Sarawak's most polluted areas include Sibu (180), Mukah (172), Bintulu (166), Samalaju (164), Kapit (157), ILP Miri (153), Limbang (151), and Miri (106).

According to an Asian Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) report on September 2, there were 795 hotspots in Kalimantan, 144 in Sumatra, and three in Sarawak. Moderate to dense transboundary smoke haze was prevalent across northern Borneo and parts of the southwestern, western, and central Philippines. The ASMC regional haze map also indicated scattered hotspots across these regions on the same date.

The Asean secretariat had set Alert Level 3 for the southern Asean region on August 27 due to increased hotspot activity and widespread haze.

The DoE will continue monitoring air quality through the national haze action plan, with relevant agencies responding to the situation and developments.