SERIAN: Government offices in Serian will remain open despite the division being placed under a haze emergency, says the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC).
Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Douglas Uggah said private sector offices and other workplaces in the division, which covers 2,819 sq km, including industries, plantations, construction sites and quarries, could also continue operating. However, these workplaces must take health precautionary measures to protect their workers, he said.
A state of emergency was declared in Serian after the air pollutant index (API) breached the Very Hazardous category, exceeding 500, late Friday.
Following the declaration, Sarawak Public Works Department director Datuk Cassidy Morris ordered all work on its projects within the affected area to stop immediately.
However, in an update yesterday, he said work could resume, subject to health protection measures.
The API reading in Serian was 334 at 10am yesterday, keeping the division firmly in the hazardous air quality category.
Uggah said the SDMC would continue to closely monitor air quality in Serian over the next three days to anticipate “any fluctuation of the API level”.
He said the monitoring would be carried out before the SDMC could make any recommendation to Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on whether to lift or continue the emergency. He pointed out that air quality was primarily affected by wind direction and the source of hotspots.
Serian borders Kalimantan, with Serian town located just 38km from the Sarawak-Kalimantan border.
