KUCHING, Sept. 5 -- Serian remains under the haze emergency despite its Air Pollutant Index (API) reading improving from the hazardous level, with the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) continuing to closely monitor the situation.

SDMC chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said in a statement today that the Serian air quality monitoring station recorded an API reading of 334 as at 10am, placing the area in the hazardous category.

However, the reading fell to 273 by 2pm, bringing it into the very unhealthy category.

He said SDMC would monitor the API reading over the next three days to observe any fluctuations, particularly the possibility of it rising above 500.

"The API is primarily affected by the wind direction and sour...