Sarawak's Serian records hazardous API of 385

Serian, Sarawak, recorded the highest Air Pollutant Index (API) reading in the country at 385 as of 4pm today, according to the Department of Environment's Air Pollutant Index Management System. Four areas in Sarawak, including Kuching, Sri Aman, Samarahan, and Sarikei, recorded very unhealthy readings. Fifteen other areas in Sarawak, Sabah, Labuan, and Selangor experienced unhealthy API levels.

Eight locations in Sarawak, namely Sibu, Mukah, Bintulu, Samalaju, Kapit, ILP Miri, Limbang, and Miri, had unhealthy readings. Sabah saw unhealthy readings in Kimanis, Politeknik Kota Kinabalu, Kota Kinabalu, Keningau, and Tawau. Labuan recorded an unhealthy reading of 158, while Johan Setia in Selangor had a reading of 135. Moderate readings were observed in 44 areas nationwide, while good readings were recorded in three areas.

Cloud seeding operations, aimed at mitigating haze, were carried out in areas with API readings above 150, along with reservoirs where water levels had decreased. Deputy Prime Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi revealed that these operations were conducted in coordination with the Malaysian Meteorological Department and the Royal Malaysian Air Force.

Yang di-Pertua Negeri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar cautioned that the API level could potentially surge to 800 in certain parts of Sarawak. The current situation was a result of forest and peatland fires in Indonesia due to prolonged dry weather, with smoke from the fires spreading towards Sarawak. An API reading range of 0 to 50 denotes good air quality, 51 to 100 signifies moderate quality, 101 to 200 indicates unhealthy conditions, 201 to 300 represents very unhealthy conditions, and any reading above 300 is classified as hazardous.