Schools closed in 2 districts as haze worsens in S’wak

Schools in the Lubok Antu and Kanowit districts have been temporarily closed due to declining air quality in Sarawak, after several days of respite from the haze.

The Sarawak education department said it decided to close the schools after very unhealthy air pollutant index (API) readings of 212 and 207 were reported in Kanowit and Lubok Antu, respectively, at 10am.

It said lessons would be held online during the closure, Borneo Post reported.

The department also said schools near districts with API readings exceeding 200 had been given the discretion to decide whether to temporarily close.

According to the environment department’s API portal, 19 areas recorded unhealthy air quality as of 12pm, with Sarawak topping the list.

The highest API reading was recorded in Kapit (170) followed by Serian (167), Sibu (161), Sri Aman (161) and Bintulu (159).

In the Klang Valley, the highest API reading was recorded in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur (157), followed by Putrajaya (157) and Johan Setia (153) and Shah Alam (137) in Selangor.