Malaysia declares emergency in Sarawak town as haze index tops 500

A haze emergency has been declared in Serian after the Air Pollutant Index reached hazardous levels, prompting school closures and the suspension of non‑essential workplaces within a 20 km radius. Several Sarawak districts, including Kuching, Samarahan and Sri Aman, have recorded very unhealthy API readings, while other monitoring sites across Malaysia show unhealthy or moderate levels. Authorities have begun cloud‑seeding operations targeting the most affected stations and have stepped up monitoring and enforcement against open burning. Federal and state officials continue to meet to assess further response measures as dry weather and smoke from hotspots in Kalimantan and Sumatra persist.