{
  "id": 5538644,
  "title": "Haze persists nationwide, Serian remains worst-hit",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/haze-persists-nationwide-serian-remains-worst-hit",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-04T10:30:34.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2026/09/1525755/haze-persists-nationwide-serian-remains-worst-hit"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "KUALA LUMPUR: The haze continues to impact several regions across Malaysia this evening, with Serian, Sarawak, emerging as the most severely affected area. As of 6pm, two out of 68 air quality monitoring stations nationwide reported hazardous Air Pollutant Index (API) readings, as per the Department of Environment's API Management System. The haze, originating from ongoing fires in Indonesia's Kalimantan and Sumatra regions, has crossed borders and degraded air quality in parts of Malaysia, particularly in Sarawak. Serian, currently under a haze emergency, recorded an API reading of 515, a significant rise from 400 at the same time yesterday. Kuching recorded an API reading of 306. Two locations in Sarawak, Samarahan and Sri Aman, both recorded very unhealthy readings of 292 and 241, respectively. Other locations in Sarawak, Sabah, and Johor reported unhealthy or moderate air quality readings. An API reading ranging from 0-50 signifies good air quality, 51-100 indicates moderate, 101-200 denotes unhealthy, 201-300 suggests very unhealthy, and readings above 300 are classified as hazardous. The Sultan of Malaysia consented to the declaration of a haze emergency in Serian due to the worsening air quality.",
  "summary": "KUALA LUMPUR: Haze continues to affect several parts of the country this evening, with Serian, Sarawak, remaining the worst-hit area.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Vibes",
        "title": "Haze in Serian enters emergency phase",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/haze-in-serian-enters-emergency-phase",
        "published": "2026-09-04T08:35:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Emergency declared in Serian over hazardous haze",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/emergency-declared-in-serian-over-hazardous-haze",
        "published": "2026-09-04T08:58:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Malaysiakini",
        "title": "SNAPSHOT | No more MACC orange jumpsuit for those on remand; emergency declared in Serian over haze",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/snapshot-no-more-macc-orange-jumpsuit-for-those-on-remand-emergency",
        "published": "2026-09-04T10:18:26.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Explainer: What the Serian haze emergency means",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/explainer-what-the-serian-haze-emergency-means",
        "published": "2026-09-04T11:32:54.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}