DEBAK – The Sarawak Government is seeking to expand air quality monitoring in the state, including the possible establishment of a permanent Air Pollution Index (API) monitoring station in Betong Division.
Sarawak Deputy Premier and Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee (JPBNS) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said discussions had been held with the Department of Environment (DOE) on increasing the number of monitoring stations in areas that currently lack permanent facilities.
Betong Division is among the areas being considered for additional monitoring coverage. Uggah said the absence of a permanent station meant that further facilities would be useful in obtaining more frequent and localised information on air quality.
“The government has discussed with the DOE to see the possibility of setting up a monitoring station in Betong Division,” he said.
He said expanding the network was important because concentrations of fine particulate matter, particularly PM2.5, could vary between different parts of Sarawak.
“We need to increase the number of monitoring stations because the PM2.5 readings are not the same throughout Sarawak and there are certain areas that record higher readings according to the current situation,” he said.
Uggah was speaking to reporters after attending the groundbreaking ceremony for the Jalan Ulu Rimbas Upgrading Project at Rumah Panjang Unjie Guang, Nanga Pek, on Saturday.
He said wider monitoring coverage would give the state government a clearer picture of changing air quality conditions across different areas. The information could then be used to support decisions on public safety measures and responses to deteriorating air quality.
API readings are also used as an indicator of pollution conditions and can assist authorities in determining whether additional measures or standard operating procedures (SOPs) are required when pollution reaches potentially dangerous levels.
The proposed expansion would therefore provide authorities with more local data rather than relying solely on readings from existing monitoring locations. Uggah said this would support earlier assessment of emerging air quality concerns and help guide the government’s response.
On the current El Nino phenomenon, Uggah said it was a global weather occurrence that could not be stopped by the state government.
However, he said authorities would continue monitoring developments and take appropriate steps to minimise its effects on communities.
Uggah expressed hope that the El Nino situation would ease by the end of the year, while stressing that climate change considerations were also being incorporated into Sarawak’s broader development strategy.
He said the state would continue to pay attention to expanding its air quality monitoring network as part of efforts to improve preparedness for changing environmental conditions.
More comprehensive monitoring could help authorities identify areas experiencing higher pollution levels and respond more quickly when conditions worsen. It could also provide information needed to assess whether public safety measures are necessary.
For Betong Division, the proposed station would add local monitoring capacity to an area currently without a permanent API monitoring facility. The proposal remains subject to discussions with the DOE.
Uggah said strengthening the monitoring network would remain an area of attention as the government works to improve its ability to respond to air quality risks and protect the safety and wellbeing of communities.
