Malaysia's Sarawak requests emergency declaration in Serian district due to haze

Malaysia's Sarawak state has submitted a request to the federal government ‌for the king to declare an emergency ‌in the district of Serian on Friday, after thick haze caused by forest fires in neighbouring Indonesia ⁠pushed ​air pollution ⁠up to hazardous levels.

Sarawak, on Borneo, has been ⁠heavily affected by fires on the Indonesian side ​of the island, with haze forcing ⁠school closures in some parts of the state. Malaysian authorities ⁠categorise ​Air Pollution Index (API) readings above 300 as hazardous, with a measurement of ⁠500 serving as the threshold for declaring an ⁠emergency. ⁠The API measured 519 in Serian on Friday, government data showed.