Malaysia Declares Emergency in Sarawak District as Haze Hits Hazardous Levels

Malaysia has declared a state of emergency in the Serian district of Sarawak state after thick haze from forest fires in neighbouring Indonesia pushed air pollution to hazardous levels on Friday. The emergency, confined to Serian, comes as the Air Pollution Index (API) in the area reached 519, surpassing the 500 threshold that triggers such a declaration.

The decree was issued by Malaysia's king, Sultan Ibrahim, following advice from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg. Anwar's office confirmed the royal consent, citing the hazardous air quality as a threat to public health and safety.

Sarawak, located on the island of Borneo, has been severely affected by fires on the Indonesian side of the island. The haze has already forced school closures in several parts of the state. Sarawak's disaster management committee chairman, Douglas Uggah Embas, said the state had requested the emergency declaration after API readings breached 500.

The emergency covers an area of about 20 kilometres (12.4 miles) radius around Serian. Essential services, including supermarkets, petrol stations, and banks, are expected to remain operational. Authorities have also initiated cloud-seeding operations to mitigate the haze.

Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy where the king typically acts on the advice of the prime minister. However, the monarch holds the power to declare an emergency in response to grave threats to national security, the economy, or public order.