{
  "id": 9318064,
  "title": "‘Very unhealthy’ air quality returns to Serian as Sarawak battles haze",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/very-unhealthy-air-quality-returns-to-serian-as-sarawak-battles-haze",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-23T10:33:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/09/23/very-unhealthy-air-quality-returns-to-serian-as-sarawak-battles-haze"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Sarawak is grappling with hazardous air quality once again, as haze from Indonesian land and forest fires plagues the region. The capital city, Kuching, experienced the worst conditions, with an air quality index (API) of 185, while Serian witnessed the most severe situation with an API of 201, classified as very unhealthy. Other Sarawakian cities, including Samarahan, Sri Aman, Bintulu, Sibu, Samalaju, Sarikei, and Miri, reported unhealthy API levels ranging from 166 to 161.\n\nAcross the country, the air quality remained generally moderate, with only a few areas in the peninsula registering good API readings. Nine locations in Malaysia's West Coast enjoyed clearer skies, demonstrating a stark contrast to Sarawak's struggle against the haze. The API scale categorizes air quality into five classes, from good (0-50) to hazardous (above 300).",
  "summary": "The API in Serian stood at 201 as of 6pm, while the rest of Sarawak recorded unhealthy levels.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "‘Very unhealthy’ air quality returns to Serian as Sarawak battles haze",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/very-unhealthy-air-quality-returns-to-serian-as-sarawak-battles-haze-9323863",
        "published": "2026-09-23T10:33:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "13 areas in Sarawak record unhealthy API readings, Serian highest at 197",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/13-areas-in-sarawak-record-unhealthy-api-readings-serian-highest-at",
        "published": "2026-09-23T10:51:11.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}