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One hundred and eight schools in Sarawak’s Serian Division have been ordered to close temporarily after Air Pollutant Index (API) readings in the area exceeded 200.
Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, who chairs the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC), said Teaching and Learning from Home (PdPR) will be implemented during the closure to ensure continuity of students’ education.
Under the National Haze Action Plan, schools, kindergartens, and nurseries are required to close when API readings reach 200 — the threshold classified as “Very Unhealthy.”
By Thursday morning (13 August), air quality in Serian had slightly improved, with readings dropping to 183.
Today, Kuching recorded unhealthy API reading of 177, followed by Tebedu (175), Sri Aman (159), Sarikei (158), Sibu (152), Mukah (152), and Lundu (111).
Areas that recorded moderate API readings are Miri (98), Bintulu (93), Lubok Antu (91), Samalaju (84), Industrial Training Institute (ILP) Miri (76), Bario (75), Limbang (70), Lawas (69), and Kapit (67).
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability said on Wednesday that the poor air quality in Sarawak was caused by a fire at a rubbish disposal site managed by the Sibu City Council, compounded by forest fires in Sri Aman.
The public has been reminded against open burning and urged to report incidents to the nearest Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) office, or contact its hotlines at 082-447488 or 082-319500.
A Wider Fire
The haze over Sarawak is not isolated.
Satellite monitoring by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA-20) on 11 August recorded 12 hotspots in Malaysia — one in Pahang and 11 in Sarawak — against 60 in Sumatra and 354 in Kalimantan.
ASEAN activated a Level 2 alert on 3 August, requiring Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Timor-Leste to submit daily and emergency response reports.
The two fires most directly affecting Sarawak’s air quality remain active — a landfill fire in Sibu covering 1.5 hectares and a forest fire in Sri Aman covering 100 hectares — with firefighting operations ongoing at both sites.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability attributed the deterioration to transboundary haze and local fires, compounded by the concurrent El Niño phenomenon and southwest monsoon suppressing rainfall across southern Peninsular Malaysia and parts of western and southern Sarawak.
Dry weather across most of southern ASEAN is expected to persist, raising the likelihood of further hotspots and transboundary haze.
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