KUCHING: Air quality in Serian improved slightly this evening, although it remained the most affected area in Sarawak, with an Air Pollutant Index (API) reading of 191 as of 6 pm.
According to the Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS), the reading at IPD Serian dropped from 199 at 12 pm.
Kuching, however, rose slightly from 179 at noon to 181, while Samarahan remained unchanged at 173.
Sri Aman recorded an API of 155, followed by Mukah (149), Bintulu (139) and Miri (107), all at unhealthy levels.
Mukah saw a notable deterioration from 100 at noon to 149 at 6 pm, while Miri rose from 87 to 107, moving into the unhealthy category.
Meanwhile, Samalaju recorded 94, Sibu (91), ILP Miri and Sarikei (87), Kapit (79) and Limbang (70), all at moderate levels.
The Department of Environment (DOE), citing an ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) report dated Aug 23, said 252 hotspots were detected in Kalimantan and 118 in Sumatra based on NOAA-20 satellite imagery.
Six hotspots were also detected in Malaysia, including three in Sarawak, two in Johor and one in Terengganu.
According to ASMC’s regional haze map on Aug 24, dry conditions continued across most parts of the southern ASEAN region, except for rainfall mainly over northern Borneo and northern Sumatra.
Moderate haze was observed over western Borneo, while moderate to dense smoke plumes were seen over central and southern Sumatra.
Light, localised smoke plumes were also observed over several parts of Kalimantan.
Several air quality monitoring stations in West Kalimantan, western Sarawak and central and southern Sumatra recorded unhealthy to very unhealthy air quality.
However, the actual extent of hotspots and haze in the region could not be fully determined due to cloud cover.
API readings of between 101 and 200 are classified as unhealthy, while readings of between 51 and 100 are moderate.
