{
  "id": 2273637,
  "title": "Serian records very unhealthy air quality as of 9am",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/serian-records-very-unhealthy-air-quality-as-of-9am",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-21T01:58:48.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/news/regional/2026/08/1515742/serian-records-very-unhealthy-air-quality-9am"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "As the day began at 9am in Kuala Lumpur, eight locations in Sarawak were found to have unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings. The city of Serian stood out with a reading of 240, categorised as 'very unhealthy'. This surpassed the highest reading in Sri Aman at 190, followed by Kuching with 185, Samarahan at 178, Sarikei at 174, Sibu at 156, Bintulu at 154, Samalaju at 150 and Kapit at 134.\n\nAcross the country, 56 areas reported moderate readings between 51 and 97, while a mere three regions were classified as having good air quality, with readings under 50. The Air Pollutant Index range is classified as follows: 0 to 50 denotes good air quality, 51 to 100 signifies moderate, 101 to 200 signals unhealthy air, 201 to 300 is deemed 'very unhealthy', and any reading above 300 is considered hazardous. This data is updated hourly from 68 air quality monitoring stations spread across the nation.",
  "summary": "KUALA LUMPUR: Eight areas in Sarawak recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings, with Serian registering a very unhealthy reading, as of 9am today.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "Serian API hits ‘Very Unhealthy’ level of 241 as Sarawak air quality worsen",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/serian-api-hits-very-unhealthy-level-of-241-as-sarawak-air-quality",
        "published": "2026-08-21T01:56:24.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}