By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, July 25: Lundu and Tebedu have been flagged as high-risk areas for worsening air quality in the coming days due to transboundary haze originating from Indonesia’s Kalimantan, according to the Sarawak Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB).
As of 8am today, Lundu recorded an Air Pollution Index (API) reading of 125, categorised as “Unhealthy”, while Tebedu registered a “Moderate” level of 69. These readings were gathered from NREB’s air quality monitoring stations along the Sarawak-Kalimantan border.
NREB attributed the deterioration in air quality to the rising number of hotspots in neighbouring Indonesia, particularly in areas close to Sarawak’s southern border.
To anticipate the haze’s movement, NREB relies on data from the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) and uses the HYSPLIT model from the Malaysian Meteorological Department to forecast the haze trajectory up to 72 hours in advance.
“Based on the analysis on July 21, the haze trajectory from Indonesia is expected to have a moderate impact, especially in western Sarawak,” NREB said in a statement today.
Proactive measures are being taken to curb open burning, which includes patrols, drone surveillance and physical inspections in fire-prone areas such as farmlands, peatlands, bush areas and landfills.
“This strategy has proven effective in reducing open burning cases in Sarawak. From July 18 to 24, only 62 hotspots were detected in Sarawak compared to 448 in the neighbouring country,” the agency pointed out.
Efforts to strengthen cross-border cooperation were initiated during the 37th Sarawak–West Kalimantan Sosek-Malindo Conference held in November 2024. Both sides agreed to collaborate in managing forest fires and haze through joint patrols and long-term training initiatives.
Should air quality worsen drastically, NREB will coordinate with the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) and other relevant agencies to issue updates, including potential school closures if the API exceeds the threshold set by the Education Ministry.
The public is reminded not to conduct open burning, especially during the dry season, and to report such incidents to the nearest NREB office or via the hotline at 082-447488 / 082-319500. – DayakDaily
