Malaysia declares emergency in Sarawak as haze from Indonesia worsens

By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP, AP and Reuters. Published On 5 Sep 20265 Sep 2026.

Key points

• The declaration followed a formal request from the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee after the region's Air Pollutant Index reached levels warranting consideration of a local emergency.
• As well as more than a dozen provinces on Friday, it has additionally hit the Philippines, where President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
• As have the neighbouring states of Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia, sarawak, in the northern part of Borneo island, has been heavily affected by haze for weeks.
• Malaysia has declared a state of emergency in a district in Sarawak state after haze caused by wildfires in neighbouring Indonesia rose air pollution to "hazardous" levels.
• It originates from fires burning throughout Indonesia, particularly the Kalimantan region and Sumatra island, is part of a wider seasonal wildfire crisis in the archipelago country.

King Sultan Ibrahim "has consented to the declaration of emergency throughout Serian Division, Sarawak, following haze conditions that have reached air pollution levels hazardous to public health and safety", Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's office remarked in an official note on Thursday.

In practice, the declaration followed a formal request from the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee after the region's Air Pollutant Index reached levels warranting consideration of a local emergency.

Under the order, 647 schools in Serian will close from Monday until at least the end of next week, alongside administration and private offices, plantations, construction sites and quarries, with only essential services continuing to operate.

Notably, the state's disaster management authorities remarked a three-day cloud-seeding operation rolled out on Thursday would be extended to at least Monday, citing forecasts of "more conducive cloud formations" during that period.

Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee chairman Douglas Uggah Embas, speaking at a news conference in Kuching, stressed that the emergency applied only to Serian, not the entire state, but pressed residents there to take the situation seriously. "Please minimise outdoor activities and avoid strenuous activities outdoors, " he remarked.

Other Southeast Asian countries like Brunei have additionally noted smoggy conditions. After the 24-hour air quality readings entered the unhealthy range, the first since 2023, singapore confirmed it would start providing daily haze advisories from Friday evening.

As well as more than a dozen provinces on Friday, it has additionally hit the Philippines, where President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Ordered the suspension of classes in the capital region, Metro Manila.

This year's transboundary haze. It originates from fires burning throughout Indonesia, particularly the Kalimantan region and Sumatra island, is part of a wider seasonal wildfire crisis in the archipelago country.

Scientists say temperatures are projected to peak this month, potentially intensifying the fires by bringing hotter and drier conditions throughout the region.

For now, malaysia declares emergency in Sarawak as haze from Indonesia worsens remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.