Malaysia declared an emergency in a town in Sarawak on Friday after haze from fires in neighbouring Indonesia pushed air pollution to hazardous levels, enveloping parts of Borneo in smoke, according to the Associated Press.
Serian, an agricultural town near Malaysia's border with Indonesia, recorded an Air Pollutant Index of 521 on Friday, far exceeding the threshold for declaring an emergency, Malaysia's environment department said.
The reading indicates extremely dangerous air quality and could trigger restrictions on outdoor activities and non-essential work.
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Sarawak's capital, Kuching, also recorded a hazardous reading of 311, highlighting the widening impact of the haze across the state.
Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar consented to the emergency declaration in Serian, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's office said in a statement, as authorities moved to strengthen measures to limit the impact of the pollution.
Schools are already required to close when the index exceeds 200, while readings above 500 could lead to the suspension of non-essential work and outdoor activities.
The latest pollution spike has been linked to fires in Indonesia, where forest and peatland fires frequently send smoke across borders during the dry season.
Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore are periodically affected by the regional haze.
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The situation has been particularly severe in Sarawak this year, with several areas reporting hazardous pollution levels amid prolonged dry weather and increased fire activity across parts of Indonesia.
Indonesia's Forestry Ministry detected 717 hotspots nationwide since Aug. 1, with 103 active hotspots recorded in the preceding 24 hours, according to data released on Friday.
The recurring haze poses risks to public health while also threatening outdoor economic activity, transportation and tourism across affected areas.
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