Residents of Serian, a market town in the Serian Division of Malaysia, are continuing their daily activities despite a state of emergency declared Friday due to hazardous air quality levels caused by severe haze. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong announced the emergency as the air pollutant index (API) in the area rose to 518, placing the 114,000-strong population at significant health risk. Serian Division covers an area of 2,819 square kilometers and lies only 38 kilometers from the Kalimantan border.
Under the National Haze Action Plan, the declaration of a state of emergency permits authorities to close government and private offices, with exceptions for essential services. However, many local residents appear undeterred, stating that they will continue their work despite the official call for caution.
“We are immune,” said local shop owner Kenneth Sim, 68, who runs a fertiliser shop. Sim emphasized the financial necessity of keeping his business open, describing the closure as too costly. “It will cost me a lot of money,” he said while attending to customers purchasing fertilisers and weedkillers. He acknowledged the air quality’s deterioration but noted that haze is a recurrent challenge in the region. “The government can shut up shop and go home, but I can’t. Life must go on,” he added.
The durian harvest season has drawn many to sell fruit along the Pan Borneo Highway between Serian and Sri Aman. Makeshift stalls line the roadside, with families hawking durians to passing drivers. Sixty-year-old grandmother Lilia Tarap, who sells durians from a family orchard high in the nearby hills, said she earns about RM100 daily from her roadside sales. Despite concerns about the haze, she said her use of a surgical mask and hat provides protection. Lilia, an unemployed individual who also relies on welfare and family support, has been selling durians for two weeks to supplement her income.
Similarly, 59-year-old Jeremis Sanyam, an odd job worker from Kampung Seroban, described his decision to continue selling durians despite the emergency. He stated he would comply with any mandatory order to remain indoors, such as those imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic, but otherwise intends to work. Jeremis said he typically earns around RM80 a day, sometimes less if he lowers prices to sell the fruit quickly. His routine involves a half-hour motorcycle ride to the orchard and carrying heavy loads back in traditional tamboks, or native wicker baskets, weighing roughly 50 kilograms.
Residents’ determination to maintain their livelihoods highlights the complex balance between public health directives and economic necessity in Serian amid the ongoing haze crisis.