00:01Malaysia declared an emergency in a town in Sarawak State on Borneo Island on Friday
00:06after air pollution breached the country's emergency-level threshold linked to fires
00:10in neighboring Indonesia. The air pollutant index in Serian, a small agricultural town
00:16of just under 90,000 near the border of Indonesia's Kalimantan province, surged to 521 on Friday,
00:24according to Malaysia's Environment Department. Sarawak's much larger capital, Kuching,
00:30also showed a hazardous reading of 311. Officials have said a reading above 500 could provide for
00:37non-essential work and outdoor activities to be halted. Schools are already shut if the index is
00:43above 200. The haze this year has been particularly severe, with elevated fire activity in several
00:50provinces in Indonesia and prolonged dry conditions, contributing to worsening pollution across parts
00:56of Borneo.
