Sarawak deputy energy and environmental sustainability minister Dr Hazland Abang Hipni said the Singapore-based Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) detected 1,059 open burning hotspots in the neighbouring country recently, but did not name the nation, The Borneo Post reported.

“This led to Sri Aman recording unhealthy air pollutant index (API) levels of between 100 and 155, while Kuching and Serian started recording unhealthy API readings since Sept 4,” he was quoted as saying.

The API in Kuching and Serian reached 153 at 6pm yesterday, but has since reduced to moderate levels below 100 as of 4pm today.

To mitigate risks, Hazland urged Sarawakians not to engage in open burning, to drink plenty of water and to reduce their outdoor activities.

He also recommended that high-risk individuals should wear a face mask when venturing outdoors during hazy conditions.

Hazland added that the state ministry had deployed patrols to actively monitor and prevent open burning within the state, in order to curb smoke from adding to the haze.