Air pollution in a town in Sarawak state on Borneo Island breached Malaysia’s emergency-level threshold on Friday amid worsening haze linked to forest and land fires in neighboring Indonesia.
The Air Pollutant Index in Serian, a small agricultural town of just under 90,000 near the border of Indonesia's Kalimantan province, surged to 521 on Friday, according to Malaysia's environment department. Sarawak's much-larger capital, Kuching, also showed a hazardous reading of 311.
Haze is a recurring seasonal problem in Southeast Asia, where smoke from forest and peat fires in Indonesia can travel across national borders and affect neighboring Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore.
Officials have said a reading above 500 could trigger a haze emergency declaration in the affected area that would provide for nonessential work and outdoor activities to be halted. Schools are already shut if the index is above 200. There was no immediate declaration from authorities regarding Serian.
Sarawak has been the worst-hit Malaysian state by the haze, with several areas having hazardous air levels in the past few days.
The haze this year has been particularly severe, with elevated fire activity in several provinces in Indonesia, including Kalimantan, and prolonged dry conditions contributing to worsening pollution across parts of Borneo.
Satellite data from Indonesia's Forestry Ministry on Friday detected 717 hot spots nationwide likely caused by forest fires since Aug. 1. The data showed 103 active hot spots in the past 24 hours alone.
Indonesian authorities have deployed firefighting resources and attempted to induce rain.
Indonesia has also stepped up enforcement against fires in Kalimantan, suspending the business licenses of five companies over alleged forest and land fires within their concessions in the province.
Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has said the sanctions could go beyond license suspensions. Companies that fail to meet restoration obligations, or are found to have committed criminal offenses, could face prosecution.
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