Play store
Ahmadul Kobir, Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia’s Sarawak state has declared a state of emergency in the Serian Division after severe haze, linked to forest and plantation fires in Indonesia, pushed air pollution to hazardous levels and raised serious public health concerns.
The emergency declaration has led to the closure of 647 schools and the suspension of government and private offices, plantations, construction activities and quarrying operations in the affected area. Essential and emergency services will remain operational.
In a statement on Thursday, the Prime Minister’s Office said Malaysia’s King, Sultan Ibrahim, had consented to the declaration of an emergency throughout the Serian Division in Sarawak.
The decision followed a formal request from the Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee after the Air Pollutant Index (API) reached a level considered hazardous to public health and sufficient to warrant the declaration of a local emergency.
Authorities said the 647 schools in the Serian Division would close from Monday, with the shutdown expected to remain in force until at least the end of next week.
Authorities have also launched a three-day cloud-seeding operation in Sarawak from Thursday in an effort to reduce the impact of the haze.
The state disaster management authorities said the operation could be extended until at least Monday, depending on weather conditions and the formation of suitable clouds.
Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee chairman Douglas Uggah Embas said the emergency declaration applied only to the Serian Division and did not cover the entire state.
Speaking at a press conference in Kuching, he urged residents to take the situation seriously, limit unnecessary outdoor activities and avoid strenuous work in open areas.
Sarawak, located in the northern part of Borneo, has experienced severe haze for several weeks. The impact has also been felt in neighbouring Sabah and several parts of Peninsular Malaysia.
Authorities said the transboundary haze was linked to forest and plantation fires in several parts of Indonesia, including Kalimantan and Sumatra.
Seasonal land and forest fires in Indonesia have repeatedly caused thick smoke to spread across national borders, affecting several countries in Southeast Asia.
The haze has also reached neighbouring Brunei, while Singapore has begun taking additional precautions amid worsening air quality.
After its 24-hour air quality index reached the “unhealthy” range, Singapore announced that it would begin issuing daily haze forecasts from Friday evening. It is the first time since 2023 that the country has faced such conditions.
The deteriorating air quality has also affected the Philippines.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the suspension of classes and other educational activities on Friday in Metro Manila and more than a dozen provinces as haze and worsening air quality raised health concerns.
Scientists have warned that temperatures across Southeast Asia could reach particularly high levels this month. Hotter and drier conditions could further increase the risk of forest and plantation fires across the region.
There are growing concerns that if fires in Indonesia continue to spread, the smoke could travel further across national borders, worsening air quality in Malaysia and other parts of Southeast Asia.
The situation in Sarawak has once again highlighted the regional nature of the annual haze crisis, where fires in one country can quickly become a public health and economic emergency across several others.