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Malaysia's Sarawak declares emergency in Serian district due to haze

Created at 4 Sep · 8:04 AM1 source↑ Market-relevant
IN SHORT

Malaysia's Sarawak state declared an emergency in the Serian district due to hazardous air pollution levels, with the Air Pollutant Index (API) reaching 519. The haze is attributed to forest fires in neighboring Indonesia.

Key Numbers

519API reading in Serian
500API threshold for emergency declaration
300API threshold for hazardous air quality
310API reading in Kuching
281API reading in Samarahan
245API reading in Sri Aman

Who's Involved

Zainudin Aman
Sarawak state secretary and state disaster management chairman
Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas
Sarawak Disaster Management Committee chairman
Malaysia's Sarawak declares emergency in Serian district due to haze

↳ Why This Matters

The declaration of an emergency in Serian highlights the severe impact of transboundary haze on public health and essential services, underscoring the regional environmental challenges posed by forest fires.

Key facts

  • Malaysia's Sarawak state declared an emergency in Serian district.
  • The emergency declaration was due to hazardous air pollution levels.
  • The Air Pollutant Index (API) in Serian reached 519.
  • Haze is attributed to forest fires in neighboring Indonesia.
  • School closures have occurred in some parts of Sarawak due to the haze.

    • Malaysia's Sarawak state declared an emergency in the Serian district on Friday due to hazardous air pollution levels caused by haze from forest fires in neighboring Indonesia. The Air Pollutant Index (API) in Serian reached 519, surpassing the 500 threshold for an emergency declaration. Authorities categorize API readings above 300 as hazardous. The haze has also led to school closures in some parts of Sarawak. Other areas in Sarawak, including the state capital Kuching, also recorded hazardous or very unhealthy API readings. The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee would notify the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) for further action following the emergency declaration.

    Frequently asked questions

    An emergency or disaster would be declared when API readings reach 500 and above.

    Malaysian authorities categorize API readings above 300 as hazardous.

    An emergency declaration would result in the closure of all public and private sector activities except essential services.

    What Happens Next

    01The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee will notify NADMA for further action.

    How It Developed

    Forest fires in Indonesia caused thick haze to spread to Malaysia's Sarawak state.
    The Air Pollutant Index (API) in Serian, Sarawak, reached 519, categorizing it as hazardous.
    Sarawak state declared an emergency in the Serian district due to the hazardous air quality.
    Haze has also led to school closures in parts of Sarawak.
    Kuching's API reading was 310 (hazardous), Samarahan was 281 (very unhealthy), and Sri Aman was 245 (very unhealthy).

    Sources

    T1
    Malaysia's Sarawak declares emergency in Serian district due to hazeReuters
    T2
    Sarawak's Serian district records hazardous air pollutant index of 518 ...straitstimes.com
    T2
    Sarawak haze pushes Serian API reading to 495, just short of 'emergency ...malaymail.com

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