In Sarawak, the decision to hold, postpone or cancel an outdoor event during haze belongs to the organiser, not the government. The State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) has set out the lines organisers are expected to weigh: above an Air Pollutant Index (API) of 200 they should strongly reconsider outdoor sport and strenuous exercise, and above 500 offices and workplaces outside essential services can be closed, Bernama reported from the committee's guidance. Schools work to a lower line of 100.

That guidance matters this week. At 9am on 25 September the API stood at 166 in Kuching, 165 in Samarahan, 163 in Sri Aman and 178 in Serian, all in the unhealthy band, according to readings from the Department of Environment's APIMS portal reported by Bernama.

What each API band means

The Malaysian index runs in five bands, as Bernama sets out with each APIMS update:

  • 0 to 50: good
  • 51 to 100: moderate
  • 101 to 200: unhealthy
  • 201 to 300: very unhealthy
  • above 300: hazardous

Readings move quickly. A day earlier, at 8am on 24 September, Kuching read 195 and Serian 218, with ten Sarawak stations from Serian to Miri in the unhealthy range or worse, Bernama reported. At the end of August the state saw hazardous air: Serian 412, Samarahan 332 and Kuching 304 at 12.30pm on 30 August, according to the same SDMC report.

Who decides whether an event goes ahead

SDMC chairman and Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said the choice to proceed, postpone or cancel remains with each organiser. The committee's guidance applies to official, private and community events alike, and asks organisers to check prevailing haze conditions and API readings before deciding, Bernama reported. It set out three lines:

  1. Any reading: assess the haze and the API before committing to an outdoor programme.
  2. Above 200: strongly reconsider outdoor physical activity, sport and strenuous exercise, especially where children, the elderly or other vulnerable groups take part. Moving indoors, modifying the activity or postponing are the alternatives named.
  3. Above 500: government and private offices and workplaces, other than essential services, may close, pending a disaster emergency declaration by the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA).

The 500 line has already been used this season. When Serian's reading reached 500 in early September, an emergency was declared across the Serian Division, with NADMA to issue the operating procedures and residents told to stay at home and cut outdoor activity, Uggah said, as reported by Bernama.

Why the lower line of 100 applies to schools

School sport runs under a stricter rule. The Ministry of Education ordered outdoor activities, gatherings and outdoor sport suspended wherever the API exceeds 100, Education Director-General Dr Mohd Azam Ahmad said. Venues for national school sports events under MSSM and BPI may be moved to safer areas or indoors based on the latest readings. The directive draws on MoE Circular No. 5/2016 on hot weather and Circular No. 1/2019 on critical haze, Bernama reported.

Closures follow at the higher band. The Sarawak Education Department shut all 108 schools in Serian after the district's reading passed 201, with home-based learning (PdPR) in their place; APIMS recorded 217 there at 10pm on 23 September, according to Bernama.

How organisers have changed events instead of cancelling

Shortening a course is one of the modifications the SDMC guidance allows for. At POWERMAN Malaysia in Putrajaya on 20 September, the duathlon was cut from its standard 10km run, 60km ride and 10km run to 5km, 30km and 5km because of the haze, Bernama reported. The men's elite winner, Gavin Sim Wee Hon, said health should come ahead of the result.

What health officials tell runners and cyclists

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad advised children, pregnant women, the elderly and other high-risk groups to avoid outdoor activities, drink enough water and wear a mask if they develop symptoms. The ministry expected asthma and upper respiratory tract infections to rise, Bernama reported.

The specific risk for endurance sport is breathing rate. Dr Anas Ahmad Jamhari of Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin said running and cycling raise the volume of air drawn in, carrying more fine particles into the airways, and advised checking the API before going out, particularly when it exceeds 100. An N95 mask is the most suitable for outdoor work only if it fits tightly and is worn properly. It loses effect when loose, wet, damaged, often removed or worn over a beard, he told Bernama.

The same report gave the ministry's sentinel figures for Epidemiological Week 34: asthma cases up more than eightfold to 1,811 from 219 the week before, and conjunctivitis up from 146 to 720, according to Bernama.

Where to check the reading before a run

The Education Ministry directive tells schools to follow API readings on the Department of Environment's website, Bernama reported. The department's APIMS portal reports each monitoring station separately with the time of the reading, which is why the 25 September update gives Serian, Kuching, Samarahan and Sri Aman four different figures at the same hour.

Sources