KUCHING, SARAWAK — Sarawak’s haze crisis has escalated sharply, with Serian recording an Air Pollutant Index (API) reading of 241 on Friday morning, pushing air quality deep into the “very unhealthy” category and prompting authorities to maintain sweeping school closures across the state.
The latest reading, recorded at the Serian District Police Headquarters monitoring station at 8am on Aug. 21, was reported by Malay Mail. Eight monitoring stations across Sarawak were also registering unhealthy readings at the time.
The deterioration comes just one day after Sarawak authorities ordered 591 schools across 10 districts to close for two days, affecting an estimated 200,000 students, as worsening haze raised serious health concerns.
The affected areas include Kuching, Padawan, Bau, Lundu, Samarahan, Simunjan, Serian, Sri Aman, Lubok Antu and Betong. The closures began on Thursday, Aug. 20, according to the Sarawak Education Department.
Serian becomes the haze hotspot
Serian has emerged as the most severely affected location.
On Aug. 20, the area recorded an API reading of around 191, already placing it firmly in the unhealthy range. By Friday morning, however, the reading had surged to 241.
That puts Serian in the very unhealthy category under Malaysia’s API system, signalling substantially greater health risks, particularly for vulnerable groups.
The rapid deterioration follows a broader pattern seen throughout August. On Aug. 12, Serian had already reached an API reading of 195, the highest in Sarawak at the time.
Earlier, on Aug. 13, authorities temporarily closed 107 schools in Serian after API readings in parts of the division crossed the very unhealthy threshold. Tebedu recorded 212 while Serian reached 202 before subsequently easing.
Smoke is drifting across the border from Kalimantan
Authorities have attributed much of the current deterioration to transboundary haze, with smoke from fires in Indonesian Kalimantan drifting into Sarawak.
The Star reported that the Sarawak Natural Resources and Environment Board had warned that hazy conditions could persist as smoke from regional biomass burning continued to affect the state. On Aug. 20, six Sarawak areas recorded unhealthy API readings, with Serian reaching 191, Kuching 188 and Sri Aman 178.
Malay Mail separately reported that thousands of hotspots in West Kalimantan could prolong the haze affecting Sarawak.
This makes the current episode more than a local pollution problem: weather patterns and cross-border smoke movement are helping carry the effects of fires hundreds of kilometres away into populated areas of Sarawak.
The problem has been building for weeks
The latest spike did not come out of nowhere.
Sarawak had already been experiencing repeated periods of unhealthy air throughout August. On Aug. 9, six Sarawak locations recorded unhealthy API readings, with Serian at 171, Samarahan at 156, Bintulu at 155, Kuching at 155, Samalaju at 153 and Sri Aman at 146.
By Aug. 12, nine areas were reporting unhealthy air, with Serian reaching 195.
The situation subsequently fluctuated with rainfall before deteriorating again.
The Star reported that haze returned to parts of Sarawak after rainfall provided temporary relief, with eight areas recording unhealthy API readings on Aug. 20.
Why the haze may not disappear quickly
Weather conditions are an important part of the equation.
Malaysia’s meteorological outlook has warned of drier-than-normal conditions, particularly over Sarawak during the June-to-August period, with a developing El Niño and positive Indian Ocean Dipole expected to suppress rainfall and contribute to longer dry spells.
Those conditions can make vegetation and peat areas more vulnerable to burning while reducing the natural cleansing effect of prolonged rainfall.
Meteorological forecasts for parts of Sarawak have also continued to show haze conditions, illustrating why authorities remain concerned that the situation could persist rather than disappear after a single spell of rain.
Schools shut as authorities put children first
The closure of 591 schools represents one of the clearest signs yet of the severity of the situation.
Authorities have prioritised reducing children’s exposure to polluted outdoor air, while learning is expected to continue through alternative arrangements where necessary.
The earlier Serian school closures also triggered a shift to home-based teaching and learning, while officials monitored whether rainfall could improve conditions sufficiently to allow schools to reopen.
The response reflects growing concern that prolonged exposure to particulate pollution can pose a greater risk to children, older people and those with existing respiratory vulnerabilities.
The haze is not confined to Sarawak
Although Sarawak remains the centre of the current crisis, unhealthy air has also been recorded elsewhere in Malaysia.
Earlier in August, unhealthy API readings were reported in parts of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur alongside Sarawak. The Star reported, for example, that Johan Setia and Shah Alam in Selangor and Cheras in Kuala Lumpur had reached unhealthy or elevated levels during the wider haze episode.
International coverage has also linked the regional haze to fires in Indonesia, with The Straits Times reporting that more than 107,000 hectares of land had burned across Indonesia in 2026 and warning that the country was facing an unusually challenging dry season.
Reuters likewise reported earlier this month that Sarawak had already begun closing schools because of worsening haze associated with fires in neighbouring Indonesia.
What happens next?
The biggest question is whether rainfall and changing wind conditions can break the cycle.
For now, the answer remains uncertain.
With Serian’s API reaching 241 and haze continuing to move across parts of Sarawak, residents are facing another difficult stretch of smoky skies and deteriorating air quality.
The latest developments also show how quickly the situation can change: an area that was already unhealthy can move into the very unhealthy range within hours.
For Sarawak, this is no longer simply a case of hazy weather.
It has become a major public-health and education disruption — and the next major rain could determine whether the crisis finally eases or the haze continues to tighten its grip.
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