Abang Johari in Manila, leading a high-powered Sarawak delegation for a meeting with Asian Development Bank

MANILA, Sept 7 2026: Premier Abang Johari Openg arrived here today to begin an official working visit to the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Caption: Premier Abang Johari Openg (centre) arriving in Manila for a working visit

He is leading a high-powered Sarawak delegation comprising senior state government officials as well as representatives from several state agencies and strategic entities, including the Development Bank of Sarawak (DBoS), Sarawak Energy Berhad and Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (Petros).

Among members of the delegation are Acting Sarawak Secretary Wan Lizozman Wan Omar, Deputy Minister for Utility (Sarawak Energy and Petros) Ibrahim Baki, SEB group chief executive officer Sharbini Suhaili and DBoS chief executive officer Laura Lee Ngien Hion and other senior officials.

Soon after his arrival, the premier attended an afternoon tea with the delegation, followed by a dinner and briefing session scheduled for the evening.

On Tuesday, he is scheduled to hold a private meeting with the ADB President, followed by a meeting with the ADB Board of Directors as well as a sidelines chat with ADB officials.

ADB is a multilateral development financial institution that supports economic and social development across Asia and the Pacific through financing, technical assistance and advisory services

Air quality across Sarawak is deteriorating, with the API reading in Lundu jumping to 285, Serian's API reading registered at 256

KUCHING, Sept 7 2026: The air quality across Sarawak is deteriorating with each passing hour, and the Air Pollutant Index (API) reading in Lundu jumped to 285 as of 4pm.

Caption: The hazy condition in Kota Samarahan this afternoon

The API readings in Serian went up to 256, this is followed by Samarahan (233), and Kanowit (222).

The API reading exceeding 200 means that the air quality is very unhealthy.

The weather monitoring stations in 14 locations indicated that the air quality is unhealthy.

Toping the list with unhealthy air quality is Lubok Antu (200), and this is followed by Kuching (196), Tebedu (196), Sarikei (195), Simanggang (188), Sibu (184) and Mukah (184)

In  a statement, Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Douglas Uggah said

The state of haze emergency declaration in Serian Division has been lifted, effective today, with the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim, following the latest assessment of the haze situation.

He said as at 2pm pm today, the Serian air quality monitoring station recorded an API of 245, within the very unhealthy category.

The API reading has, however, shown a downward trend over the past three days, he said, stressing that the haze situation remains influenced by wind direction and hotspots, with several areas, particularly Serian and Samarahan, still recording very unhealthy API levels.

Uggah, who is also the Deputy Premier, assured that the federal and Sarawak governments will continue to monitor the situation closely and advise the public to take the necessary precautions, including limiting outdoor activities and following the advice of the relevant authorities. 

7 September 2026, Monday 4:00 P.M.

	STATION	INDEX	STATUS
	KUCHING	196	Unhealthy
	SAMARAHAN	233	Very Unhealthy
	SERIAN	256	Very Unhealthy
	SIMANGGANG	188	Unhealthy
	SARIKEI	195	Unhealthy
	SIBU	184	Unhealthy
	MUKAH	178	Unhealthy
	KAPIT	93	Moderate
	BINTULU	167	Unhealthy
	SAMALAJU	174	Unhealthy
	MIRI	167	Unhealthy
	ILP MIRI	167	Unhealthy
	LIMBANG	151	Unhealthy
	LUNDU	285	Very Unhealthy
	TEBEDU	196	Unhealthy
	LUBOK ANTU	200	Unhealthy
	KANOWIT	222	Very Unhealthy
	LAWAS	150	Unhealthy
	BARIO	78	Moderate
	BETONG (MCAQM)	186	Unhealthy