Malaysia declares emergency in Sarawak as haze from Indonesia worsens

Malaysia has declared an emergency in Sarawak’s Serian Division after haze from wildfires in neighboring Indonesia drove air pollution to levels authorities deemed hazardous to public health and safety.

King Sultan Ibrahim consented to the declaration following a request from the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee. The decision came after the region’s Air Pollutant Index reached levels that warranted consideration of a local emergency.

Under the order, 647 schools in Serian will close from Monday until at least the end of the following week. Government and private offices, plantations, construction sites and quarries will also shut, with only essential services continuing to operate.

Authorities launched a three-day cloud-seeding operation on Thursday and said it would continue at least until Monday. Sarawak disaster management officials cited forecasts of more favorable cloud formations. Committee chairman Douglas Uggah Embas stressed that the emergency applies only to Serian, not the whole state, and urged residents to limit outdoor activity and avoid strenuous exercise outside.

Sarawak, in northern Borneo, has faced heavy haze for weeks, alongside Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia. Brunei has also reported smoggy conditions, while Singapore said it would begin issuing daily haze advisories after 24-hour air-quality readings entered the unhealthy range, its first such advisories since 2023. In the Philippines, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered classes suspended in Metro Manila and more than a dozen provinces. The fires originate mainly in Indonesia’s Kalimantan region and Sumatra, and scientists expect temperatures to peak this month, potentially bringing hotter and drier conditions.

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Please minimise outdoor activities and avoid strenuous activities outdoors.