‘Worried’ and ‘confused’: Sarawakians grapple with worst haze since 2019

KUCHING: For 39-year-old Azie Nurazrin Aziz, who is in her third trimester, the haze blanketing Sarawak has made her daily life feel “restricted”.

The Kuching resident, who has asthma and whose doctors have classified her pregnancy as “high-risk”, attends as many as three clinic and hospital appointments a week while also running her own restaurant. 

But with the deteriorating air quality, she now carefully plans her errands to limit the amount of time she spends outdoors. 

“I have to divide my errands so I am not too exposed outside, it’s suffocating,” Azie told CNA.

“I am worried, I am anxious, what if I get an asthma attack? It’s quite dangerous for me, I have to be really careful.” 

Among Malaysian states, Sarawak has been the worst hit by transboundary haze linked to forest fires in neighbouring Indonesia. 

Sarawak, alongside Sabah, shares a land border with Indonesia on Borneo Island. 

Parts of Sarawak have recorded deteriorating air quality over the past week, with Serian becoming the first district to declare a haze-related state of emergency this year on Friday (Sep 4), after its Air Pollutant Index (API) exceeded 500. 

Under Malaysia’s API scale, readings above 400 are classified as “very hazardous”. Readings up to 50 are classified as good, 51 to 100 as moderate, 101 to 200 as unhealthy, 201 to 300 as very unhealthy, and 301 to 400 as hazardous. 

The Malaysia Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) told CNA that this is Sarawak’s “worst” haze episode since 2019. The API had then recorded a reading of 405. 

The deteriorating air quality has disrupted daily life across the state. Outdoor events, including carnivals, community runs and sporting activities, have been cancelled, while poor visibility has disrupted some flights. 

Authorities also announced on Friday that 647 schools across 12 districts, including Serian and the state capital Kuching, will close for five days from Sep 7 to Sep 11. 

“Based on our monitoring throughout the school holiday this week, the (haze) situation has clearly not changed much,” said Sarawak’s education director Omar Mahli, as quoted by news outlet Malay Mail. 

A total of 563 primary and 84 secondary schools are affected. 

Meanwhile, businesses say their takings have been affected as residents spend less time outdoors, while clinics have reported a sharp increase in patients with respiratory symptoms. Masks are also sold out at many pharmacies.

Some residents have compared the disruption to the COVID-19 pandemic, as they once again adjust their routines, limit outdoor activities and grapple with uncertainty over how long the situation could last. 

STATE OF EMERGENCY IN SERIAN 

In Serian, where air quality has been among the worst in the country, locals are facing a new reality of living under a haze-related state of emergency, though some told CNA that they remain unclear of the rules.

“Many of us are confused. We have still not been properly told what can and cannot be done during this emergency,” 26-year-old Yasmina R.C Holland told CNA on Friday. 

Serian’s API breached the 500 mark at 9am on Friday, with a reading of 510, before climbing to 515 by 5pm as the haze worsened.

Conditions improved by Saturday morning, when the API fell to 390, though air quality remained hazardous. As of 1pm, Serian’s API reading was 287.

Following the emergency declaration announced by Malaysia’s Prime Minister’s Office, Sarawak Deputy Premier Douglas Uggah Embas said that the emergency area would be confined to a 20km radius in Serian as identified by the environment department and would not affect other divisions, Dayak Daily reported.

This would mean that government and private offices and other workplaces within the affected area, including industries, plantations, construction sites and quarries, are required to close while only essential services are allowed to continue operating, Free Malaysia Today reported. 

According to The Star, supermarkets, petrol stations, banks and security services are among those that can remain open. 

“The emergency is not a lockdown like the movement control order during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is with the intention of keeping the public at home,” Douglas told reporters on Friday.

But on the ground, some Serian residents whom CNA spoke to said there was still confusion over how the restrictions would apply to their daily lives.

For 28-year-old clerk Juliana Nurus Tahir, that includes whether the emergency affects daily commute from Serian to her workplace in Kuching. Serian is located about 60km southeast of Kuching. 

“I understand that I still have to travel to my office in Kuching every morning as there is no emergency declared there. I think those who have to work (outside of Serian) will not see much impact,” she told CNA. 

Juliana said life in the district appeared unchanged on Friday evening, with residents yet to receive clear instructions on what activities were prohibited. 

“We just knew from the news that an emergency was declared and we cannot go out,” she said. 

“It is still uncertain whether market traders and roadside vendors for example could continue operating.”

For the mother of two children aged five and two, there is a more immediate concern: protecting them from the hazardous air. 

“They have been coughing, they are sensitive so I am scared their asthma will be triggered,” said Juliana, adding that she would ensure that they stay at home. 

Another Serian resident, Venissa Ingreade, said the haze had made her fall sick more easily, and the emergency would further restrict her movements. 

“Under the current state of emergency, I feel very restricted. I can’t go out for recreational activities or go anywhere,” she said. 

For Yasmina, the emergency has also raised concerns about residents whose livelihoods depend on being able to work each day. 

“Many people here (in Serian) don’t work for companies or for the government. They are farmers, gardeners and what they sell is what they earn for their daily life,” she told CNA.

“I hope more support could be given to them.”

CONCERNS GROW OVER PROLONGED HAZE IN OTHER PARTS OF SARAWAK

While Serian is the first locality to come under an emergency, concerns over how long the haze could persist and whether conditions could deteriorate further are being felt across Sarawak, which has a population of about 2.5 million, according to Malaysia’s Department of Statistics. 

The last major haze emergency in the state was in 1997. It was declared in Kuching in September that year when an air pollution reading of 650 was recorded. 

Douglas, the state’s deputy premier, had previously said that areas recording API readings of 500 and above would be declared a state of emergency, with any declaration confined to the affected locality rather than the entire state. 

The haze has already forced changes to major events in the state.

Malaysia Day celebrations scheduled for Sep 16 in Kuching will be held strictly indoors with outdoor activities scrapped, while state-level National Day celebrations on Aug 31 - originally scheduled to take place in Kapit - were cancelled due to the haze.

Despite some improvement in air quality on Saturday morning, with Kuching’s API reading falling to 267 as of 1pm, residents remain worried about the effects of prolonged exposure. 

For Azie, who is pregnant and has asthma, the haze has caused “stinging eyes and difficulty breathing”, forcing her to further limit her time outdoors. 

“Even if I want to go out, masks are out of stock everywhere. The best thing to do for me is to stay indoors,” she said.

But staying indoors is not an option for everyone. 

Public health expert Sam Froze Jiee from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak said that besides pregnant women, elderly and children, people whose jobs require them to spend long periods outdoors - such as delivery riders and construction workers - also face heightened health risks from the haze. 

In Miri, about 800km by road from Kuching, 25-year-old Grab delivery rider Samuel Jeffrey told CNA that he still needs to be on the road to make a living despite advisories urging people to limit their time outdoors. Miri’s API reading was 182 as of 1pm on Saturday - considered “unhealthy” by the authorities.

“I just recovered from a cough due to the haze so I make sure to wear a mask while working and also cut back my work hours especially during the daytime when it is extremely hot,” he said. 

Clinics are also beginning to see the impacts on health that the haze has inflicted on the public.

Muhammad Haziq Maslan Malik, founder and director of Klinik Kitak which operates two clinics in Kuching, said his doctors have seen a significant increase in patients with respiratory illnesses.

“Usually we will have about 100 to 120 patients but during this haze season, we had a significant increase of up to 160 or almost 200 patients per day,” Haziq told CNA. 

Patients came with symptoms like sore throats, difficulty breathing, watery eyes and runny noses, he added. 

The haze can also worsen conditions of those with chronic illnesses such as asthma, he said. 

“Some people have a well-controlled asthma but with the haze, it could trigger them to have an asthma attack,” said Haziq. 

His clinics are preparing for more patients by purchasing additional air purifiers and ensuring enough doctors and staff members are on duty, in an effort to reduce waiting times and the amount of time patients spend outdoors. 

BUSINESSES AFFECTED AS CUSTOMERS STAY HOME 

As people cut back on their time outdoors, food operators and businesses that depend on tourism are also feeling the impact. 

For 31-year-old Hanis Ahmad, the school holidays in the first week of September would normally have meant brisk business at his nasi kerabu - an herbed rice dish - stall in Kuching’s open-air Kubah Ria food court. 

He had been counting on families heading out during the week-long break to bring in more customers. 

On a busy day, the food court can draw more than 1,000 customers and its tables would be packed, Hanis said. 

But when CNA visited on Friday evening, few customers were around and only about half of its 30 stalls were open.

Hanis had also temporarily closed his own stall after two of his workers developed respiratory symptoms. 

“I am worried about my finances because there are many things I need to take care of - my family, the stall’s rental,” he told CNA. 

The timing of the haze has dealt another blow. Hanis said that business owners had been looking forward to a boost from the school break and public holidays, including Malaysia’s National Day on Aug 31, but he is far from reaching his sales target for the period. 

“For this month, even breaking even is very hard. If the haze continues until next month, I don’t know how long I can sustain my business,” he said. 

The prospect of an emergency being declared in Kuching is also worrying for Hanis, whose business took time to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic when restrictions severely disrupted operations. 

For Esco Beach restaurant in Damai Beach, Santubong in Kuching that is popular among tourists, weekend walk-in customers have fallen by about half since the haze worsened.

“We are lucky because we have both indoor and outdoor spaces so we are trying to make our indoor ambience cozier,” said restaurant owner Chelsea Chai. 

Since the past two weeks, Chai has also made it mandatory for staff members to wear masks and adjusted the restaurant’s operating hours to cut overhead costs while customer numbers remain low. 

Nearby, the Sarawak Cultural Village that has an outdoor museum where visitors can explore traditional houses and experience the cultures of Sarawak’s ethnic communities, has also seen visitor numbers decline. 

Its chief executive officer Jane Lian Labang told CNA that outdoor activities have been limited because of the haze, but she remained positive that the attraction would weather the downturn. 

“We are worried but we’ve been through it, we weathered previous haze seasons and also COVID-19 so we know things will get better,” she said. 

MetMalaysia told CNA that haze conditions could persist for at least another week and this is further exacerbated by the hot weather and lack of rainfall.

“Malaysia, including Sarawak, is currently experiencing the Southwest Monsoon or the dry season where winds typically blow from the southwest and this season is expected to continue until the end of September,” said MetMalaysia’s director-general Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip.

“These winds are the main medium that carries haze from the hotspots, directly towards the west and south of Sarawak. As long as these winds remain consistent, the haze is likely to continue to blow into the state.” 

The last time Malaysia had declared a haze in emergency was in June 2013 across Johor’s Muar and Ledang districts after API readings there surpassed 750 then. 

Additional reporting by Fadza Ishak