Sarawak haze pushes several districts into very unhealthy air quality as API falls in Serian
Air quality across Sarawak remains poor, with five districts—Kuching, Sri Aman, Samarahan, Samalaju and Bintulu—recording very unhealthy API scores above 200, while Serian, where a state of emergency was declared, saw its index drop from hazardous levels to the very unhealthy range. The emergency in Serian stays in effect as authorities monitor the situation. Health officials have reported a sharp rise in respiratory complaints, including an eightfold increase in asthma cases.
Businesses in the affected districts report reduced customer traffic and revenue losses. The haze is linked to dry weather and smoke from hotspots in Kalimantan and Sumatra.
How this was covered
- Left-leaning outlets covered this 23h later
Why it matters
The deteriorating air quality threatens public health and livelihoods for residents across Sarawak.
How this story developed
- Sep 3 Serian registers Malaysia's highest hazardous air-pollution index at 400
- Sep 5 The prime minister and Sarawak premier discussed additional response measures.
- Sep 5 Six Sarawak districts recorded very unhealthy API scores, with Serian at 287, the highest reading among them.
- Sep 5 Serian’s API fell from hazardous readings to 219 by midday, moving the district into the very unhealthy category.
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