Sarawak orders two days of school closures as haze worsens, with nearly 600 schools shut across the state and about 200,000 students affected. The move follows deteriorating air quality, with parts of East Malaysia recording “very unhealthy” air pollutant index readings.
The disruption is linked to recurring transboundary haze affecting Malaysian Borneo, where smoke often intensifies during dry spells. Multiple outlets describe how regional forest and peatland fires—frequently associated with land clearing for agriculture and plantations—can produce harmful smoke that crosses borders and affects daily life.
While both reports focus on the same closure figure and the “very unhealthy” readings, their emphasis differs slightly. One outlet highlights the number of schools and the two-day duration, while the other also places the event within the broader pattern of Southeast Asia’s haze problem and its connection to seasonal fire activity.
