00:00Seven areas in Sarawak recorded unhealthy air pollution index readings as of 8 a.m. Thursday,
00:07due to transboundary haze from Indonesia.
00:09That's down slightly from nine areas the day before.
00:12The haze has already forced drastic action.
00:15108 schools in Syrian district were shut on Wednesday after air quality,
00:20they deteriorated to 198, just shy of the very unhealthy threshold.
00:25The health ministry is advising residents in affected areas to reduce outdoor and physical activity once readings past 100,
00:33and to seek medical help for shortness of breath or prolonged coughing.
00:38The ministry says it will step up surveillance of haze-related illnesses and boost readiness at health facilities.
00:45Haze has spread across the region following forest and land fires in Indonesia,
00:50which is facing a longer and more severe dry season this year as El Nino intensifies.
00:56However, Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency Chief Suharyanto told Reuters on Tuesday
01:01that El Nino and the dry season do not themselves cause fires,
01:05but act as catalysts, allowing them to spread more widely.
01:09He said the main cause is human factors, whether deliberate or accidental,
01:14citing common practices such as the burning of peatland.
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