KUCHING, Sept 4 — Haze in Serian worsened sharply overnight, with the Air Pollutant Index (API) there climbing to 495 this morning, just five points below the level that would trigger an “emergency” declaration.
The Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS) recorded the reading at the Serian monitoring station at 7am today, making it the only locality in the country with a hazardous reading.
The reading began rising from 6pm yesterday after haze conditions had shown signs of improvement over the preceding 24 hours.
Three other areas in Sarawak were in the very unhealthy category, with API readings of 289 in Kuching, 265 in Samarahan and 250 in Sri Aman.
Eight other localities, including two in Sabah, recorded unhealthy readings below 200.
Sarawak Disaster Management Committee chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas previously said a locality would be declared an emergency if its API reading reached 500.
Such a declaration would result in the closure of all public and private sector activities except essential services, he said.
The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee would then notify the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) in Kuala Lumpur for further action.
