{
  "id": 6272190,
  "title": "Sarawak's Serian records very unhealthy API reading of 239",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/sarawaks-serian-records-very-unhealthy-api-reading-of-239",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-08T10:40:58.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/news/regional/2026/09/1528427/sarawaks-serian-records-very-unhealthy-api-reading-239"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Three locations in Sarawak, including Serian, Samarahan, and Sri Aman, reported unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings of 239, 219, and 215 respectively, as of 6pm today. Serian recorded the highest unhealthy API reading among Sarawak's 19 monitoring stations. The remaining Sarawak areas with unhealthy readings were Sarikei (184), ILP Miri (174), Bintulu (167), Miri (164), and Sibu (163). Outside Sarawak, Batu Muda in Kuala Lumpur, Shah Alam in Selangor, Tasek Ipoh in Perak, Nilai in Negri Sembilan, and Klang in Selangor each had API readings of 165, 163, 159, 158, 156, and 155 respectively. Among the remaining 31 monitoring stations, 19 recorded moderate air quality and three recorded good air quality. Kangar in Perak recorded the lowest API reading at 45, while Balik Pulau in Penang and Langkawi in Kedah recorded 43 and 22 respectively. According to the API classification, readings between 101 and 200 are considered unhealthy, 201 to 300 are very unhealthy, and above 300 are hazardous. The United Nations has warned of a developing very strong El Niño, which could intensify in the upcoming months, raising the risk of extreme weather into 2027.",
  "summary": "KUALA LUMPUR: Three areas in Sarawak recorded very unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings as of 6pm today.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}