KUCHING: The air quality in Sarawak has taken a dip since early this month, with the Air Pollutant Index (API) showing an uptrend since Sept 1.
As of 9am yesterday, the air quality monitoring station in Serian, about 60km from here, recorded an unhealthy API.
In a statement, the Sarawak Natural Resources and Environment Board said that the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre detected an increase in the number of hotspots between Sept 1 and 5, with 20 of them in Sarawak and 1,825 in Kalimantan, Indonesia.
It said the country is expected to receive consistent winds from southwest, owing to the Southwest Monsoon which began in May.
“This situation has the potential to cause cross-border haze and deterioration of ambient air quality in the Sarawak region,” said the board in a Bernama report, adding that it has taken steps to activate the haze operation room and field patrols.
It has also stopped issuing controlled burning permits, as well as issued notices on the open burning ban to all project developers and organised awareness programmes with other agencies to ensure air quality is maintained.
