Serian, Seeping Into Homes and Cloaking Roadside Stalls, As Residents Navigated an Air-quality Emergency Fueled by Transboundary Haze

Malaysia declared a state of emergency in Sarawak state's Serian district on Borneo on Friday after air pollution readings reached critical levels. Toxic haze has shrouded parts of Indonesia and Malaysia for weeks as Jakarta struggles to contain fires that have scorched large tracts of Borneo and Sumatra, with the plumes drifting into neighboring Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. Friday's emergency declaration will also keep some 647 schools closed until at least the end of the week in Serian district, which has a population of around 154,000 people.