Malaysia Lifts Haze Emergency in Sarawak as Regional Air Quality Fluctuates
3 sources across 3 countries · Hong Kong · Indonesia · Singapore · 1 of them is linked to a state
Who reported this
- South China Morning Post
- The Jakarta Post
- CNA
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- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
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Malaysia has lifted a state of emergency in the Serian district of Sarawak after air pollution levels dropped below the critical threshold. The emergency was declared on Friday after the Air Pollution Index (API) in Serian reached 519, surpassing the 500 mark required for an emergency declaration. By Monday, the API in Serian had fallen to 222. King Sultan Ibrahim granted consent to end the emergency following advice from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg.
Despite the lifting of the emergency, the Prime Minister's Office warned that the situation has not fully recovered. Air quality in the Serian and Samarahan districts remains at very unhealthy levels, and residents are advised to limit outdoor activities. Some reports attribute the improvement in air quality to rain on Friday night and Saturday morning, which may have resulted from cloud seeding.
The haze is caused by fires in Indonesia's Kalimantan, southern Sumatra, and central Sumatra. These fires have affected several countries in the region. In Singapore, the National Environment Agency (NEA) reported that air quality remained in the moderate range on Monday, with forecasts for Tuesday predicting moderate to low unhealthy levels. The NEA noted that smoke plumes continue to drift toward Singapore and that dry conditions are expected to persist in southern and central Sumatra, maintaining the risk of haze.
In Sarawak, the thick haze previously forced school closures in some parts of the state. Malaysian authorities classify API readings above 300 as hazardous. Meanwhile, Singapore uses the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) to issue health advisories, advising different activity levels for healthy individuals and vulnerable groups based on whether the air is moderate or unhealthy.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- Emphasized the government's role in declaring and lifting the emergency while highlighting the struggle to contain fires in Indonesia.
- Centre
- Focused on the technical details of air quality monitoring and specific health advisories for the public in Singapore.
- Centre-right
- Highlighted the royal consent process and the critical nature of the pollution thresholds in Sarawak.
Sources
- Centre CNA: Air quality to remain in moderate to low unhealthy range on Tuesday: NEA
- Centre-right South China Morning Post: Malaysia lifts haze emergency in Sarawak, but warns pollution risks remain
- Centre-left The Jakarta Post: Malaysia lifts emergency declaration in Sarawak district though air quality stil...
- Centre-left The Jakarta Post: Malaysia lifts emergency declaration in Sarawak as fire haze eases
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.