API 518 in Serian raises prospect of local emergency declaration
SERIAN: Serian recorded an Air Pollutant Index (API) reading of 518 as of 10 am today, placing it in the “hazardous” category amid transboundary haze.
According to the Department of Environment’s (DOE) Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS), an API reading above 300 is classified as hazardous, while readings between 201 and 300 are categorised as “very unhealthy”.
Kuching also recorded a hazardous API reading of 310, followed by Kota Samarahan at 281 and Sri Aman at 245.
Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas had previously said areas recording API readings of 500 could be declared under a state of emergency by the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA).
However, he said such a declaration would apply only to the affected localities and not the entire state.
Cloud seeding operations have also been conducted at several locations in Sarawak to increase water storage levels and help mitigate the impact of the haze.
Meanwhile, 10 locations recorded “unhealthy” API readings nationwide, comprising six in Sarawak and two each in Johor and Sabah.
The six affected locations in Sarawak were Sarikei (181), Sibu (177), Mukah (173), Bintulu (157), Samalaju (152) and the Miri Industrial Training Institute (ILP) (116).
In Johor, unhealthy API readings were recorded in Pasir Gudang (124) and Segamat (105), while in Sabah, the affected areas were Sandakan (152) and Kota Kinabalu Polytechnic (105).
Meanwhile, 42 locations nationwide recorded “moderate” API readings, while 12 recorded “good” readings.
