KUCHING, Aug 31 — A state of emergency will only be declared if the Air Pollutant Index (API) reaches 500 or above under the National Haze Action Plan, said Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.
The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman clarified that there is currently no necessity to declare a state of emergency yet.
He explained that should the API breach the 500 mark, the SDMC would immediately escalate the issue to the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) in Kuala Lumpur to facilitate further action in accordance with Nadma Directive No 1.
“I must clarify that if an emergency is declared, it will strictly be enforced within that specific locality, not for the entire state,” Uggah told reporters during a press conference following an SDMC meeting at Wisma Bapa Malaysia on Monday.
He added that under an emergency declaration, all public and private sector offices in the affected area would be required to shut down, with operations permitted only for essential services.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and hope it does not reach the 500 threshold, even though readings are currently nearing that level,” he said.
As of 12.00pm today, the monitoring station at the Serian District Police Headquarters (IPD Serian) recorded an API reading of 463 — a slight drop from its peak of 476 recorded at 8.00am. Both readings remain within the hazardous level.
Uggah assured that SDMC will continue to closely monitor air quality across the state, particularly in locations registering unhealthy, very unhealthy, and hazardous readings.
“The public is advised to refer to the latest official API readings and health advisories, and to take the necessary precautions based on prevailing conditions,” he said.
For areas where API readings reach 201 and above, Uggah urged residents to wear face masks when venturing outdoors — preferably N95 masks, or at minimum 3-ply face masks if N95 masks are unavailable. — The Borneo Post
