Sarawak could get more dedicated air-quality monitoring stations under a federal effort to improve coverage, especially during transboundary haze. Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Arthur Joseph Kurup told the Dewan Rakyat on Oct 22 that areas without their own stations currently rely on regional data from the nearest station. For communities outside the existing network, that distinction matters: a nearby reading gives a regional picture, rather than a measurement taken in their own neighbourhood. TVS reported that the Department of Environment has 68 monitoring stations nationwide. That is the Malaysian total, not the number in Sarawak. The minister did not give a number, location list or installation timetable for additional Sarawak stations in the reported reply. He also said MetMalaysia had developed MyCMAQ, an air-quality modelling platform able to forecast potential pollution and haze up to five days ahead across Malaysia and Southeast Asia. The two tools serve different purposes: station readings describe monitored conditions, while MyCMAQ provides an advance indication of what may develop. A five-day forecast is not a guarantee that haze will occur at a particular Kuching address.

Seven of Sarawak’s 21 monitoring stations were in the unhealthy API band at 4pm Tuesday, Sept 29, with Serian highest at 175. Kuching recorded 158 and Samarahan 157. Lundu was at 161, Betong and Samalaju at 116 each, and Lubok Antu at 108. By late afternoon, Sri Aman and Kanowit had eased just below the unhealthy threshold, while Samalaju had moved into it. Unhealthy air is the 101–200 API band. Kuching and Samarahan remained in that range in the 4pm snapshot, so check the latest reading before spending a long time outdoors; these figures are not live readings.

Kanowit recorded Sarawak’s highest air-pollutant reading at 4pm on Sept 26: an API of 201, down from 213 at 10am but still in the “Very Unhealthy” band. It was the state’s only station in that category. Serian was at 137, classed as “Unhealthy”, while most other stations were moderate; Kuching stood at 91 and Samarahan at 84. The morning snapshot had Kanowit at 215 and Serian at 152, so both readings had eased by afternoon. The figures are tied to a specific time and can shift during the day. Residents, especially in Kanowit and Serian, should check the latest NREB API reading before planning prolonged outdoor activity.

The Kuching Marathon scheduled for Sunday, Sept 27, has been cancelled after the organiser reviewed the haze and consulted relevant authorities and medical advisers. More than 13,000 people had registered. Participants can collect their finisher medal and event T-shirt at Plaza Merdeka’s Alfresco area. The reported collection hours are 9am–9pm on Saturday, Sept 26, and 8am–1pm on Sunday, Sept 27. Bring the physical race bib; one person may collect for up to five runners if they present each bib. Anyone who has not collected a race pack must do that first. The cancellation is final for this edition; the finisher-item collection is the remaining in-person arrangement. Check the Kuching Marathon Association’s official channels for any updated collection instructions.

Three outdoor activities planned for Sunday at Sarawakku Sayang in Betong have been cancelled as haze persists. The programme organisers cancelled aerobics, Betong Berekot and Ngohet Sikai after consulting the Betong Divisional Health Office, which cited unhealthy API readings. The three-day programme is being held at Betong Sports Complex from Sept 25 to 27. Organisers said the rest of the programme would continue as scheduled while conditions are monitored. Visitors planning to attend on Sunday should leave those three activities out of their plans and check for any further notices before travelling.

A total of 142 schools in Serian and Lundu are closed today as haze readings remain in the very unhealthy range. The temporary closure took effect on Thursday, Sept 24: 108 schools in Serian and 34 in Lundu. At 10am, the Air Pollutant Index stood at 212 in Serian and 225 in Lundu. The Sarawak Education Department said the decision follows Education Ministry Circular No. 8 of 2016 on managing lessons during disasters. For schools near areas above API 200, principals and head teachers may consider home-based learning after weighing pupils’ health and safety. The notice gives no reopening date. Families should check with their own school for the day’s learning arrangements. If readings trend down, schools may begin preparing to reopen, but that is not a confirmed timetable.

All primary and secondary schools under the Lubok Antu and Kanowit District Education Offices have been ordered to close temporarily as haze pushed API readings above 200. The Sarawak Education Department said the closure took effect immediately on Sept 21. Home-based teaching and learning will continue under Ministry of Education disaster-management guidance. Schools near districts with API readings above 200 may also consider PdPR, with pupils’ health and safety as the deciding factor. At 9am, Lubok Antu and Kanowit recorded API readings of 205 and 209. By 10am, the two readings had risen to 207 and 212, both in the very unhealthy range. The department said schools may prepare for reopening if the API trend falls below 200; no fixed reopening date was announced. Parents and students should follow the latest school or education-department notice before preparing to return.

Sarawak accounted for 11 of Malaysia’s 21 “unhealthy” air-quality stations at 8.30am on Monday, with Kuching recording an API reading of 158. Serian was the highest in the state at 168, followed by Kapit at 166 and Sri Aman at 160. Miri and Bintulu also recorded 158, while Samarahan was 157, Sibu 156 and Samalaju 155. The readings show the haze remains a broad state-level problem rather than being confined to one town. The Department of Environment said it is continuing round-the-clock monitoring. Wind direction and hotspot activity can change the numbers during the day, so residents should check the latest API before deciding on prolonged outdoor activity, especially if they are in a vulnerable group.

Haze worsened across Sarawak on Friday, with Kuching still in the unhealthy range and Kanowit becoming the state’s first monitoring station to reach the very unhealthy category. Kanowit’s Air Pollutant Index (API) rose from 186 at 8am to 209 at 2pm, according to Sarawak’s API status data. Kapit also moved from moderate to unhealthy at 152. Kuching improved from 192 at 8am to 178 at 2pm, while Samarahan fell from 184 to 171 and Lundu from 176 to 142. Even so, 13 locations remained in the unhealthy band at 2pm, including Sibu, Sarikei, Bintulu, Betong and Sri Aman. An API reading of 101 to 200 is classified as unhealthy, while 201 to 300 is very unhealthy. Bario was the only location in the good category at 2pm, with a reading of 50. Residents should check the latest station reading before spending long periods outdoors, especially if they are children, older adults or have respiratory and heart conditions.

Sarawak’s haze thickened on Friday morning, with 13 monitoring stations moving into the unhealthy range and Kuching recording an API reading of 192. The 8am reading was up from 174 at 4pm on Thursday. Kanowit rose sharply from 58 to 186, while Samarahan reached 184, Serian 180, Lundu 176 and Tebedu 166. Several central Sarawak stations also saw steep overnight increases: Sibu climbed to 158, Sarikei to 157, Sri Aman and Bintulu to 153, and Mukah and Lubok Antu to 104. Kapit was the only station to move into the moderate band among the locations highlighted in the morning update, at 93. Miri and ILP Miri remained moderate at 61 and 58, while Limbang and Bario were in the good range at 49 and 12. The API is a 24-hour running measure. Readings from 101 to 200 are classified as unhealthy, so conditions can change with the next update. People in affected areas should check the latest readings and cut down prolonged outdoor activity while the air remains poor.

Kuching’s Air Pollutant Index (API) rose to 95 at 8am on Sept 17, moving close to the unhealthy range but remaining moderate. Serian recorded 92 and Tebedu 90 at the same reading. Samarahan and Lundu were both at 77, while Lubok Antu and Betong stood at 76. The readings were higher than the previous 8pm figures in most of these areas. Samalaju also moved from good to moderate at 58, while Kanowit and Mukah improved into the good range. API readings from 51 to 100 are classified as moderate, and 0 to 50 as good. Conditions can change through the day, so people planning prolonged outdoor activity should check the latest official reading rather than rely on this morning’s snapshot.

All Sarawak schools are due to return to normal classes on Sept 17 after the latest air-quality readings moved out of the unhealthy range. The Sarawak Education Department said Lubok Antu district schools, the last group affected by the haze-related suspension, would resume physical lessons on Thursday. The latest 8am readings cited by See Hua Daily News placed Kuching at 75, Serian at 70 and Kota Samarahan at 68 — all in the moderate range. Families in areas where smoke or fine particles still linger may keep a child at home if health concerns remain, but the absence must be reported to the school. Air quality can change during the day, so parents should continue checking official updates rather than treating the reopening as an end to all haze precautions.

Air quality improved across several parts of Sarawak on Monday morning, but Lubok Antu remained the state’s only station in the very unhealthy band. The 8am reading there was 205. Kuching recorded 132, while Sri Aman, Tebedu, Serian and Betong were also in the unhealthy range. Samarahan, Kanowit and Lundu moved back into the moderate category, with readings of 98, 97 and 94 respectively. Sarikei was at 75 and Sibu at 83. The readings are time-specific and can change as smoke and weather conditions shift. People with breathing or heart conditions should check the latest official API reading before spending long periods outdoors.

<p><strong>Air quality changed quickly across Sarawak on Saturday morning.</strong> Four areas moved back above 200 on the Air Pollution Index (API), after rain had briefly improved readings the day before.</p> <p>At 10am, Serian recorded 252, while Lundu and Lubok Antu were both at 217 and Tebedu at 214. Kuching was 189; Sri Aman 198, Samarahan 193 and Betong 189. Miri, Lawas, Limbang, Kapit and Bario remained in the moderate range at that snapshot.</p> <p>The practical point is that one reading is not a day-long forecast. Smoke and wind can change the number within hours, so anyone planning outdoor work should check the <a href="https://eqms.doe.gov.my/" rel="nofollow ugc">Department of Environment Malaysia air-quality portal</a> for the latest reading before leaving. People with breathing conditions, children and older adults should avoid prolonged exertion when the reading is unhealthy or worse; seek medical advice if symptoms become serious.</p> <p>This update reports the Saturday 10am snapshot, not a permanent condition for every town. The next useful check is the live reading for the specific area you are travelling to.</p>

Serian haze worsens again as API reaches very unhealthy level Serian’s Air Pollutant Index (API) rose to 202 by 11am on Friday, pushing the district back into the very unhealthy range after rain brought lower readings earlier in the morning. The Natural Resources and Environment Board readings show Serian climbing from 197 at 9am to 202 two hours later. Lundu recorded the second-highest reading at 192, followed by Tebedu at 185, Kuching at 182 and Samarahan at 181. At 8am, Serian and Lundu were at 195 and 177, respectively. The later figures show that the morning improvement was not holding across all monitoring stations. For people in Kuching and nearby districts, conditions can change within hours. Check the latest API reading for the area you are heading to, and limit prolonged outdoor activity when readings remain unhealthy or worse.

Lundu and Serian recorded hazardous air quality early Tuesday, as haze conditions worsened across Sarawak. Readings at 6am put Lundu at API 329 and Serian at 303. Kuching was at 241, with Samarahan at 239, Tebedu at 242, Sri Aman at 230 and Lubok Antu at 212 — all in the very unhealthy range. The latest figures mark a sharp deterioration from Monday: Lundu had been at 260 at noon, while Serian rose from 222 to 303. Other stations, including Sarikei, Sibu, Mukah, Bintulu, Miri and Betong, remained unhealthy. Kapit and Limbang were below 100, while Bario recorded 38. Air quality can change through the day, so people in affected areas should check the latest official API reading before planning prolonged outdoor activity, especially for children, older people and those with breathing problems.

Serian’s haze emergency is over, but air quality remains poor in parts of Sarawak. The Prime Minister’s Office said on Sept 7 that the King had consented to end the declaration after Serian’s latest API readings fell out of the hazardous range. The emergency was declared on Sept 4, when the index went above 500. That decision does not mark the end of the haze episode. Kota Samarahan recorded an API reading of 226 at 8am, and several other areas were still in the very unhealthy band. Conditions may shift with wind direction and hotspot activity. Residents in affected areas should keep outdoor time down and follow the latest instructions from the authorities while monitoring local API updates.

Serian remains under a haze emergency, with non-essential workplaces closed while authorities wait for the air pollutant index to fall below 500. The emergency was declared after the district’s API climbed above the very hazardous threshold. Essential services, including supermarkets, petrol stations, banks and security forces, are allowed to operate. Schools in 12 districts — including Kuching, Padawan, Bau, Lundu, Samarahan and Serian — are closed from Sept 7 to 11. Lessons continue through home-based teaching during the closure. The order is confined to Serian; it is not a movement-control order. The emergency will be lifted when the API drops below 500, so residents should check official air-quality updates before making plans or travelling into the affected area.

Kuching remained in the very unhealthy air-quality band on Sunday morning, even as readings improved in four other Sarawak areas. The API reading in Kuching was 235 at 8am, down from 276 at 8pm on Saturday. Sri Aman was also in the very unhealthy range at 216, while Lubok Antu, Lundu and Kanowit recorded 237, 215 and 215 respectively. Samarahan, Serian, Bintulu and Samalaju moved into the unhealthy band after their readings fell to between 184 and 200. No Sarawak station was above the hazardous threshold of 300 at the 8am update. The improvement is uneven. Smoke haze from Kalimantan was still drifting into parts of Sarawak on Sunday, and conditions may change with wind and rainfall. For Kuching residents, an API reading between 201 and 300 remains a signal to reduce prolonged outdoor activity and keep vulnerable family members away from smoky air.

Sarawak wants cloud-seeding missions to continue through September whenever the weather allows, as dry conditions put dams and raw-water sources under pressure. Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said the state was discussing more frequent operations with the federal government. The request is conditional: aircraft can only seed clouds that meet the required atmospheric conditions. The third 2026 operation ran from Sept 3 to 5 across Samarahan, Sri Aman, Betong, Kapit and Limbang. It targeted three dams — Batang Ai, Murum and Bakun — and 13 catchment areas. Uggah said previous missions had helped raise levels at Murum and Bakun, although the effect at Batang Ai was smaller. The immediate concern is water, not a guaranteed fix for the haze. Lubau’s supply was described as critical, while operations at Awik and Spaoh had stopped. Hot weather is expected to remain a risk into October. Cloud seeding depends on suitable clouds, humidity and wind. A scheduled window therefore does not guarantee a flight or measurable rain at a particular town.