Disasters & Incidents
Malaysia haze emergency shuts schools and offices
Malaysia's haze emergency in the Serian division of Sarawak state on Borneo will shut 647 schools and close government and private offices after air pollution reached critical levels.
The emergency covers Serian in Malaysian Borneo, not the whole of Sarawak. Schools will be closed from Monday until at least the end of next week, and offices in the town of Serian will also close, including plantations, construction sites and quarries. Only essential services will operate.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's office said King Sultan Ibrahim had consented to the emergency declaration after haze conditions reached air pollution levels hazardous to public health and safety.
The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee requested the declaration after the Air Pollutant Index in Serian breached the critical threshold of 500, peaking at 519 earlier on Friday. Under Malaysian guidelines, API levels above 300 are hazardous, while readings beyond 500 can trigger consideration of a local emergency.
Authorities launched a three-day cloud-seeding operation on Thursday as smoke from Indonesia's Kalimantan region blanketed the state, drove up respiratory complaints and triggered demand for haze-rated masks. Sarawak's disaster management authorities said cloud-seeding operations to produce rainfall would be extended until at least Monday.
Emergency agencies have alerted residents and begun distributing clean drinking water to affected communities. The government said the emergency order would allow more effective mitigation measures, while the Royal Malaysian Air Force continued cloud-seeding over key catchment areas.
Sarawak Disaster Management Committee Chairman Douglas Uggah Embas urged residents in Serian “to take the current situation seriously.” He advised them to minimise outdoor activity, avoid strenuous outdoor activity and wear an N95 mask, or at least a three-ply mask, when outdoor exposure is unavoidable.
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
It is not yet clear whether the emergency measures will extend beyond the announced school-closure period.
The future effectiveness of cloud-seeding operations remains uncertain.
Source
AFP news report published on .