by Kentigern Minggu, 31 Aug 2026, Monday

KUCHING (Aug 31): A state of emergency will only be declared if the Air Pollutant Index (API) reaches 500 or above under the National Haze Action Plan, said Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.

The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman clarified that there is currently no necessity to declare a state of emergency yet.

He explained that should the API breach the 500 mark, the SDMC would immediately escalate the issue to the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) in Kuala Lumpur to facilitate further action in accordance with NADMA Directive No 1.

“I must clarify that if an emergency is declared, it will strictly be enforced within that specific locality, not for the entire state,” Uggah told reporters during a press conference following an SDMC meeting at Wisma Bapa Malaysia on Monday.

He added that under an emergency declaration, all public and private sector offices in the affected area would be required to shut down, with operations permitted only for essential services.

“We are closely monitoring the situation and hope it does not reach the 500 threshold, even though readings are currently nearing that level,” he said.

As of 12pm today, the monitoring station at the Serian District Police Headquarters (IPD Serian) recorded an API reading of 463—a slight drop from its peak of 476 recorded at 8.00 am. Both readings remain within the hazardous level.

Uggah assured that SDMC will continue to closely monitor air quality across the state, particularly in locations registering unhealthy, very unhealthy, and hazardous readings.

“The public is advised to refer to the latest official API readings and health advisories, and to take the necessary precautions based on prevailing conditions,” he said.

For areas where API readings reach 201 and above, Uggah urged residents to wear face masks when venturing outdoors—preferably N95 masks, or at minimum 3-ply face masks if N95 masks are unavailable.

Meanwhile, Sarawak Health Director Dr Veronica Lugah noted an increase in upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) and conjunctivitis cases starting from the first week of August, coinciding with the onset of the haze.

“The number of cases, however, peaked in the second week,” Dr Lugah said.

She added that the Emergency Department at Sarawak General Hospital recorded a slight increase in asthma cases during the third and fourth weeks of August, though the figures were not considered significant.

Reiterating the state health advisory, Dr Lugah advised the public—particularly children, the elderly, and high-risk individuals—to take appropriate precautions during periods of degraded air quality.

“The advisories for the public remain unchanged, aligning with previous guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health,” she said.