Climate & Environment
Malaysia ends Sarawak haze emergency
Malaysia has ended a local haze emergency in Sarawak state on Borneo, but the government warned that air pollution in several areas remains very unhealthy.
The prime minister's office said King Sultan Ibrahim approved the end of the emergency on Monday. The order had been activated on Friday after pollution in Serian, about 65 kilometres south of Kuching, reached critical levels.
Serian's Air Pollution Index passed the 500 threshold for a local emergency on Friday and peaked at 519. Under Malaysian guidelines, API readings above 300 are hazardous, while readings beyond 500 can trigger a local emergency.
Rain in Serian on Friday night and Saturday morning brought some relief. Sarawak's Natural Resources and Environment Board said API levels in the town had dropped to the low 200s by Monday.
The emergency covered the Serian division, not all of Sarawak. Toxic haze has affected parts of Indonesia and Malaysia for weeks as Indonesia works to contain forest fires on Borneo and Sumatra, with smoke drifting into Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.
Update
Malaysia's king approved ending the Serian haze emergency on Monday.
The prime minister's office said the haze situation in Sarawak has not fully recovered and some areas still have very unhealthy air pollution levels.
Sarawak's Natural Resources and Environment Board said Serian's API readings had fallen to the low 200s on Monday after rain on Friday night and Saturday morning.
Source note: AFP news report published on 7 September 2026 at 05:32:06 UTC.
Update
Government and private offices in Serian, including plantations, construction sites and quarries, will close under the emergency measures.
Only essential services will operate in the affected area.
Sarawak disaster authorities asked for cloud-seeding operations to be extended until at least Monday.
Sarawak officials said Thursday's cloud-seeding operation produced rainfall over the Batang Ai area.
Douglas Uggah Embas stressed that the emergency applies only to Serian division and urged residents to reduce outdoor activity and wear masks when exposure is unavoidable.
Source note: AFP news report published on 4 September 2026 at 11:32:39 UTC.
Update
The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee formally requested the emergency declaration.
The Air Pollutant Index in Serian breached 500 and peaked at 519 earlier on Friday.
Emergency agencies have alerted residents and begun distributing clean drinking water to affected communities.
The Royal Malaysian Air Force continued cloud-seeding over key catchment areas.
The haze has driven up respiratory complaints and demand for haze-rated masks.
Source note: AFP news report published on 4 September 2026 at 10:07:15 UTC.
Update
The emergency declaration covers the Serian area in Malaysian Borneo.
The Prime Minister's Office said the declaration followed approval from King Sultan Ibrahim.
Authorities will close 647 schools from Monday until at least the end of the week.
The Prime Minister's Office said hazardous haze from fires in neighbouring Indonesia drove air pollution to critical levels.
Source note: AFP news report published on 4 September 2026 at 09:38:27 UTC.
Update
Malaysia declared a haze emergency in Borneo's Sarawak state.
Source note: AFP news report published on 4 September 2026 at 09:18:00 UTC.
Update
Malaysia began a three-day cloud-seeding operation in Sarawak on Thursday.
The operation targets three hydroelectric dams and 13 water catchment areas.
Seven locations in Sarawak recorded hazardous API readings above 300 on Thursday, with Serian reaching 475.
Sarawak welfare agencies have distributed more than 450,000 boxes of drinking water to over 225,000 residents since January.
Source note: AFP news report published on 3 September 2026 at 09:48:02 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The latest information does not state what happens to earlier school and office closure measures after the emergency's termination.
The source of the rain in Serian was described as believed to be cloud seeding, not confirmed.
Source
AFP news report published on .