{
  "id": 4387161,
  "title": "Sarawak Rivers Board warns Rajang journeys perilous as haze blinds boatmen, drought shrinks channels",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/sarawak-rivers-board-warns-rajang-journeys-perilous-as-haze-blinds-4387161",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-30T09:01:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/08/30/thick-haze-blankets-rajang-igan-rivers-as-drought-shrinks-channels-sarawak-rivers-board-issues-alert/233299"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Sarawak River transport users have been urged to be cautious due to the current drought and haze, which have made river journeys perilous. Sarawak Rivers Board (LSS) chairman Dr Safiee Ahmad highlighted that the drought has caused river levels to drop, making navigation channels shallower and narrower, while the haze has reduced visibility, especially at night. He advised river transport users to plan their journeys carefully and avoid traveling at night if possible. Dr Safiee, who is also the Daro state assemblyman, stated that the LSS is continuously monitoring river conditions and enforcing safety measures through its divisions in various regional offices of Sarawak. He also suggested that river transport users could access the latest information on river water levels and advisory services from regional LSS offices to plan safer journeys. According to a Bernama survey, thick haze was currently obscuring the Rajang River, the longest in Malaysia, as well as the Igan River, with API readings reaching unhealthy levels.",
  "summary": "SIBU, Aug 30 — River transport users in Sarawak have been advised to plan their journeys carefully and exercise gr...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Haze: Public urged to reduce outdoor activities in Sarawak",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/haze-public-urged-to-reduce-outdoor-activities-in-sarawak",
        "published": "2026-08-30T06:53:37.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Worsening haze in Sarawak prompts families to limit outdoor activities",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/worsening-haze-in-sarawak-prompts-families-to-limit-outdoor-activities",
        "published": "2026-08-30T07:55:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "Sarawak Rivers Board warns Rajang journeys perilous as haze blinds boatmen, drought shrinks channels",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/sarawak-rivers-board-warns-rajang-journeys-perilous-as-haze-blinds",
        "published": "2026-08-30T09:01:04.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}