Malaysia’s air quality turns hazardous as Indonesian wildfires burn

Air pollution in Malaysia’s Bornean state of Sarawak has surged into hazardous territory, with the air pollutant index (API) topping 400 in the worst-hit district, as forest fires raging in Indonesia continue to send thick smoke drifting across the border.
Serian in Sarawak, closest to the frontier with Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province, recorded the highest reading of 476 as of Monday morning.
Kuching, Samarahan and Sri Aman all logged readings above 300 as of 10am, according to Malaysia’s Environment Department.
The API scale classifies anything above 300 as hazardous; readings of 201-300 are “very unhealthy”, 101-200 “unhealthy”, 51-100 “moderate” and 0-50 “good”.

Malaysia has activated its National Open Burning Action Plan and National Haze Action Plan in response, mobilising government agencies to tackle both the fires and the health risks posed by the smoke.
Government protocols call for the suspension of outdoor activities at schools once API readings exceed 100, with schools, kindergartens and childcare centres to shut immediately once readings pass 200.
If API levels stay above 150 for more than 24 hours, authorities have said they will launch cloud-seeding operations to induce rain and activate the Disaster Management Committee.
Satellites map blazes
Satellite analysis by the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre in Singapore had detected 1,190 active hotspots in Kalimantan and 18 in Sumatra, the Environment Department said.
A further 13 hotspots were recorded inside Malaysia itself: nine in Sarawak, two in Perak and two in Sabah.
Azuri Azizah Saedon, a deputy director general for development at the department, said dry conditions were persisting across much of the region, with the exception of northern Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia, both of which had received some rain.
“Moderate to dense haze was observed over western Borneo, while moderate to dense smoke plumes were also detected in several other parts of Kalimantan as well as central and southern Sumatra,” she said in a statement on Sunday, adding that cloud cover was obscuring a fuller picture of the regional hotspots and haze.

Satellite data from Nasa’s Fire Information for Resource Management System on Sunday showed dense concentrations of heat signatures in West Kalimantan, close to the Sarawak border.
Indonesia’s national disaster management agency said on Sunday that haze conditions in Kalimantan were severe, with visibility in three priority provinces falling below 1.5km (0.9 miles) – worse than the 2.4km to 5km (1.5 miles to 3.1 miles) recorded in affected areas of Sumatra.
Air pollution in parts of Kalimantan reached extreme levels, with Indonesia’s equivalent air pollutant standard index (ISPU) hitting 877 in Katingan, Central Kalimantan; 720 in Southeast Pontianak, West Kalimantan; and 715 in Barito Selatan Sanggu, Central Kalimantan, as of 4.41pm on Sunday, said Berton Panjaitan, the agency’s acting head of data, information and disaster communication.

“When air quality reaches unhealthy or hazardous levels, we always advise people to minimise outdoor activities and, if they must go outside, to wear a mask,” Berton said, according to national news agency Bernama.
Indonesia has around 50,000 personnel on standby for firefighting and monitoring operations, backed by 53 aircraft, including 34 for water bombing and 13 for aerial patrols.
Firefighting efforts are also being stepped up in West Papua, where 35 hotspots and active fires have been detected.
El Nino effect?
Smoke from the fires continues to drift towards the Strait of Malacca and the Natuna Sea, creating transboundary haze in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei as prevailing winds carry pollutants across the region.
Climate scientists have linked the fires to El Nino, the climate pattern associated with reduced rainfall across much of Southeast Asia.
Fredolin Tanggang, professor emeritus of climatology and climate change at the National University of Malaysia, said the phenomenon should be understood as triggering a chain of interconnected, and partly foreseeable, risks that could be anticipated and, at least to some extent, prevented.

El Nino caused soils and vegetation to become progressively drier, he told local news outlet Utusan Sarawak, adding: “Peatlands lose moisture and become increasingly susceptible to fire. When fires occur on a large scale, smoke can be transported by winds across national borders.”
The Environment Department has said it will continue working with Malaysia’s ministries and disaster agencies to respond “swiftly and proactively” with measures set out in the National Haze Action Plan as the fire season continues.