Malaysia Declares Emergency in Sarawak District as Toxic Haze Blankets Region

An aerial photo taken from a commercial plane on September 5, 2026, captured haze from Indonesian forest fires blanketing a residential district in Kuching, the capital city of Sarawak state on the island of Borneo [Mohd Rasfan/AFP]. Malaysia has officially declared a state of emergency in a district within Sarawak state after severe haze, driven by wildfires in neighbouring Indonesia, pushed air pollution to hazardous levels.

King Sultan Ibrahim consented to the emergency declaration across the entire Serian Division, Sarawak, due to air pollution posing a severe threat to public health and safety, according to a statement released on Thursday by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s office. This decision followed a formal request submitted by the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee when the region's Air Pollutant Index hit critical thresholds.

As a result of the order, 647 schools located in Serian will suspend in-person classes starting Monday through at least the end of next week. Government offices, private offices, plantations, construction sites, and quarries are also mandated to close, with only essential services permitted to remain operational.

State disaster management authorities announced that a three-day cloud-seeding operation initiated on Thursday will be extended until at least Monday, supported by forecasts indicating more favourable cloud formations during that timeframe. During a news conference in Kuching, Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee chairman Douglas Uggah Embas emphasized that the emergency restrictions apply strictly to Serian rather than the entire state, though he strongly advised all local residents to take the situation seriously. He urged the public to minimize outdoor exposure and avoid strenuous physical activities.

For weeks, Sarawak—located in the northern part of Borneo island—along with neighboring Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia, has experienced heavy haze conditions. Other Southeast Asian nations, including Brunei, have similarly reported smoggy environments. Meanwhile, Singapore announced plans to issue daily haze advisories beginning Friday evening after 24-hour air quality readings reached unhealthy levels for the first time since 2023. The transboundary crisis has also affected the Philippines, prompting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to suspend classes in the capital region of Metro Manila and over a dozen provinces on Friday.

The current transboundary haze stems from ongoing fires across Indonesia, particularly within the Kalimantan region and Sumatra island, contributing to a broader seasonal wildfire emergency throughout the country. Scientists project that regional temperatures will peak this month, potentially worsening the fires by introducing hotter and drier weather conditions.