KUCHING: Air quality in Sri Aman deteriorated to a very unhealthy level this morning, with the Air Pollutant Index (API) reaching 221 as haze continued to blanket much of Sarawak.
The Department of Environment (DOE) said eight other locations in the state recorded unhealthy air quality as of 9am today (Aug 29).
They were Serian at 194, Sarikei (190), Kuching (169), Samarahan (168), Mukah (165), Sibu (161), Kapit (154) and Bintulu (150).
DOE said the deterioration in air quality in Sarawak and several areas along the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia was influenced by haze moving from various directions.
Citing the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC), it said 1,738 hotspots were detected in Kalimantan on Aug 28, compared with 36 in Sumatra and six in Malaysia.
Of the six hotspots detected in the country, five were in Sarawak and one in Sabah.
Moderate to thick transboundary smoke plumes were detected over West Kalimantan and were moving northwards into western Sarawak.
Several air quality monitoring stations in West Kalimantan and western Sarawak also recorded unhealthy to very unhealthy readings.
The department has stepped up enforcement and daily patrols in areas prone to open burning while continuing to monitor API readings from time to time.
The National Open Burning Action Plan and National Haze Action Plan have also been activated to coordinate government agencies in tackling open burning and the haze situation.
Under the National Haze Action Plan, all outdoor classroom activities must stop when the API exceeds 100, while schools, kindergartens and nurseries are to close immediately when readings exceed 200.
Disaster management committees at the district, state and federal levels will be activated if the API remains above 150 for more than 24 hours.
Cloud seeding may also be carried out under the same conditions, subject to suitable cloud and weather conditions.
Meanwhile, DOE reminded landowners to closely monitor areas prone to fires, including landfills, forests, peatland, plantations, agricultural and industrial areas.
The public was also reminded against open burning, with offences carrying a minimum fine of RM25,000 and a maximum of RM1 million, imprisonment of up to five years, or both.
