Serian haze: API hits 192 as eight areas stay unhealthy at 6pm

Serian in Sarawak recorded the highest haze reading in Malaysia on Sunday. Its API stood at 192 at 6pm, the DOE data showed.

Eight areas had unhealthy air at that hour, Bernama reported. The Klang Valley, however, had cleared earlier in the day.

Here are the readings, the school and health points, and why the haze keeps returning.

Where the air was unhealthy on Sunday

The Serian haze topped the national list at 6pm with an API of 192. That is still in the unhealthy band, which runs from 101 to 200.

Five other Sarawak areas were unhealthy. They were Kuching at 180, Samarahan at 177, Sri Aman at 157, Sibu at 152 and Sarikei at 109.

Outside Sarawak, Paka in Terengganu read 156 and Pasir Gudang in Johor read 152. Another 50 areas were moderate and 10 were good, per the DOE portal.

The picture changed through the day. At 10am, 12 areas were unhealthy, and Serian was at 194.

By 2pm the count fell to nine, but Serian rose to 196, The Star reported. Nilai and Seremban in Negeri Sembilan dropped out of the unhealthy list.

FMT said the Klang Valley had moderate air by 11am. Its highest reading was Batu Muda at 93. The Serian haze was nearing the very unhealthy level, which starts at 201.

On Saturday, the haze was wider. At 4pm, 23 stations were unhealthy, with Seremban at 172, Malay Mail reported.

Haze: Schools and health advice

Health authorities advise high-risk people to limit long outdoor activity and wear masks outside, Malay Mail reported. That includes children, older adults and people with heart or breathing problems.

Schools felt the effect too. A headline from FMT and Bernama said 27 schools in Tebedu, Serian, would close on Monday. The Sarawak Education Department said lessons would move home.

Johor schools are also reopening after the haze eased. However, the headlines we saw differ on the timing, so parents should check with the state education department.

We could not open those articles in full, so the school details here come from their headlines and summaries. Parents should therefore confirm with their school before the school run.

For the rules on when schools close, see our Haze school closures guide. It explains how the API bands trigger closures.

Why the haze keeps coming back and how API works

The haze is linked to wildfires on Borneo and Sumatra, FMT noted in a related story. It said the smoke has caused a spat between Indonesia and its neighbours.

A photo from Malay Mail shows a man fighting a peatland fire in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, on 22 October.

This season, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has ordered stronger firefighting. See our report on Prabowo’s haze order.

The DOE calculates API from a 24-hour running average of the most dominant pollutant, The Star explained. It releases hourly readings from 68 stations.

So readings can rise or fall slowly, even after the smoke shifts. The Klang Valley cleared on Sunday while Sarawak stayed high.

We will update our Serian haze report when the DOE posts fresh readings. For now, anyone in Sarawak should check the APIMS portal before heading out