Serian air quality improves after emergency declaration

Serian in Sarawak recorded a hazardous air quality index (API) reading of 512 on September 6, prompting an emergency declaration. Later that morning, the API improved to 334, as it was the only area nationwide with a reading above 300, categorized as hazardous. Three other Sarawakian areas - Kuching, Samarahan, and Sri Aman - reported "very unhealthy" API readings of 267, 259, and 260, respectively.

Nine areas in Sarawak registered "unhealthy" API readings of 194 or higher, while eight areas in Johor and three in Sabah also had "unhealthy" readings. The environment department's API Management System portal showed that nine Sarawakian areas and eight in Johor were categorized as "unhealthy," while three in Sabah were also marked as such.

Meanwhile, the Sarawak education department announced that 647 primary and secondary schools would close from September 7 to 11 due to the emergency. Home-based teaching and learning were set to commence, with the schools under the supervision of 12 district education offices throughout the five-day period. Indonesia vowed to work with neighboring countries and implement domestic measures to control forest and land fires, as reported by Bernama from Jakarta.