Mohd Roji Kawi New Straits Times 15 Aug 18;
KUCHING: At least five areas in Sarawak recorded moderate Air Pollution Index (API) readings this morning.
This follows the presence of haze in Kuching, Serian, Sibu, Mukah and Bintulu.
Hot weather that has persisted for more than a week is made worse with the peat fire in Daro, central Sarawak.
Cross border haze from Kalimantan is also affecting the state's air quality.
As of this morning, hundreds of hotspots have been detected in west Kalimantan near the Malaysia-Indonesia border, among them in Singkawang and Sambas.
Based on the latest API readings on the Department of Environment's website, Kuching recorded 56, Serian (51), Sibu (66), Mukah (75) and Bintulu (70).
Local wildfires under control, but Kalimantan hotspots a worry
stephen then The Star 15 Aug 18;
MIRI: Satellite images obtained by Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department are showing worsening wildfires in Kalimantan, resulting in smog being blown into the state.
Firemen in Sarawak are also battling several wildfires in Mukah, Bintulu and Bintangor.
Some 10 acres of wildfires have been burning since Tuesday (Aug 14) evening in Kg Assykirin in Bintulu.
In Mukah, peat fires in Daro are being extinguished, while in Bintangor, wildfires have been contained.
Sarawak Bomba in its latest updates said firemen were on the ground to contain local wildfires but the main worry now was the transboundary haze from the dozens of hotspots raging in west Kalimantan.
A change in wind direction is believed to have blown the haze across the border into Sarawak.
Dozens of hotspot clusters, appearing as red dots on satellite images, have been detected in western Kalimantan
A hotspot signifies a fire that is at least one sq km in size, thus making it big enough to be detected by satellite hovering 100km above earth.
