Haze: Sarawak recreational parks may face closure

The recent haze situation in Kuching.

KUCHING: Recreational parks could be closed if the haze breaches the very unhealthy level of above 201 on the Air Pollution Index (API).

Kuching North City Hall (DBKU) mayor Datuk Abang Abdul Wahap Abang Julai said sealing off public parks could be a possibility, when asked Sunday morning.

"We haven't closed any yet but if the reading is above 201, then we could close all the parks and recreational areas. This is to prevent unforeseen circumstances from occurring," Abdul Wahap said.

The city hall has already cancelled several outdoor sporting activities, he told reporters after a gotong-royong event at Kai Joo Lane here.

"We cancelled our public aerobics classes this weekend. I have also told the cycling associations to not cycle in this weather. Everybody has got to be mindful of everybody's health," he said.

At noon, the API for the city centre was 111 and 114 for nearby Samarahan. At Sri Aman, about 160km away, the API was 103.