At 10 a.m. on August 24, ten areas in four Malaysian states showed unhealthy air quality readings on the Air Pollutant Index (API), with Serian in Sarawak reaching 194, close to the very unhealthy level [1, 2, 3, 4]. Sarawak was the hardest hit state, with five locations reporting unhealthy API levels above 100: Serian (194), Kuching (around 176), Samarahan (about 172), Sri Aman (approximately 158), and Bintulu (about 125) [1, 2, 3, 4].

The remaining five areas with unhealthy API readings on the morning of August 24 were Johan Setia (160) and Kuala Selangor (101) in Selangor; Sungai Petani (around 155) and Alor Setar (around 152) in Kedah; and Minden in Penang (around 130) [1, 2, 3, 4].

By 4 p.m., the number of locations with unhealthy air quality increased to 16 nationwide. Serian remained the highest at 192. New additions included Mukah (134), Seri Manjung (134), Tasek Ipoh (115), Shah Alam (105), Putrajaya (102), and Cheras (101) [5]. However, as of 6 p.m., another report noted nine areas in five states with unhealthy readings, with Serian at 186 [6].

The haze is linked to transboundary smoke from forest and land fires in Indonesian Kalimantan, where firefighting efforts are ongoing [6, 5]. Malaysian Meteorological Department director-general Dr. Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said "the haze affecting several parts of the country was unlikely to clear until open burning in neighbouring countries was brought under control" [5].

Health authorities have seen a sharp rise in cases related to the poor air quality. Asthma cases surged 259% and upper respiratory tract infections rose 124% between epidemiological weeks 32 and 33 [6]. Officials urged vulnerable groups to limit outdoor activities, wear masks, stay hydrated, avoid smoky areas, and regularly check API readings [6].

Air quality data is collected hourly nationwide from 68 monitoring stations. The API scale defines 0-50 as good, 51-100 moderate, 101-200 unhealthy, 201-300 very unhealthy, and above 300 hazardous [1, 7, 6, 2, 3, 5, 4].

The next scheduled air quality updates will continue through the day as authorities monitor the haze conditions closely.