Semak

What is the haze?

The haze is transboundary smoke from land fires burning in Sumatra and Kalimantan, Indonesia. Indonesia's SiPongi monitoring system counted 1,037 high-confidence hotspots nationwide on the evening of 15 September 2026, down from 1,437 earlier in the week, with Central Kalimantan the largest share, and Japan sent three Chinook helicopters for water-bombing between 12 and 19 September (SAYS, Sep 2026). Indonesia's foreign ministry said on 17 September it had received no formal complaint from its neighbours despite the worsening air quality.

This is a severe episode: Serian in Sarawak declared a state of emergency on 4 September after its Air Pollutant Index (API) reading exceeded 500, and Kuching and Serian have seen hazardous readings in the 300–500 range since the haze began (CNA, 15 Sep 2026).

How bad is the air right now?

Malaysia's API scale: 0–50 good, 51–100 moderate, 101–200 unhealthy, 201–300 very unhealthy, above 300 hazardous (CNA, 15 Sep 2026).

The latest reported figures: 34 areas were in the unhealthy band on the morning of Friday 18 September, with Kuala Lumpur at 206 — very unhealthy (SAYS). Earlier in the week: 38 areas unhealthy on 15 September with Serian highest at 188, Johan Setia at 183, and the Klang Valley above 150 (Cheras 170, Shah Alam 167, Putrajaya 165), and 41 areas unhealthy as of 8pm on 15 September (Bernama via theSun). These are figures as reported on those dates — for current readings check the APIMS portal; for what Malaysians are reporting right now, watch the haze tracker.

Are schools closing?

Closures are district by district, driven by the API number. Sarawak extended school closures in Serian and Lubok Antu until the API falls below 200 (tracked incident). Penang's Education Department set up a haze war room, with schools switching to home-based learning once the API hits 200 (tracked incident). Both incidents carry their sources and community vote records; the API-200 threshold is the operating rule in both states.

What about masks?

The King and Queen of Malaysia advised the public on 16 September to wear face masks amid the haze, limit outdoor activities while the API is in the unhealthy band, drink enough water, and follow official announcements and daily API readings (Bernama via theSun, 16 Sep 2026). Selangor is considering free reusable masks for students as the episode drags on — tracked in the board's main haze incident.