Several towns across Sarawak recorded unhealthy air quality readings this week, part of a wider haze episode now affecting most of the state. For residents who remember last year passing with barely any haze at all, the return this year raises an obvious question: why now?

Why Haze Isn’t Automatic

The answer is that haze isn’t just about fires. Indonesia sees forest and peatland fires most years. What decides whether that smoke actually reaches Sarawak is a combination of three separate conditions lining up at the same time.

The Three Conditions Behind This Year’s Haze

The first is dry weather. An El Nino weather pattern has been strengthening through the middle of 2026, cutting down rainfall over Sumatra and Kalimantan. Less rain means drier vegetation and drier peatland, both of which burn more easily and more persistently than normal forest.

The second is the fires themselves, which are already well underway across Kalimantan and Sumatra this season.

The third, and the one most people overlook, is wind direction. Sarawak is currently in the Southwest Monsoon period, when prevailing winds carry smoke from Sumatra and Kalimantan northeast toward Borneo. In a year where the wind sits the other way, the same fires can burn without Sarawak smelling a trace of smoke.

This year, all three lined up. Regional monitors have rated 2026 a “Red” haze risk, a rating used only once before since tracking began. That rating gives a sense of how much drier and more widespread this year’s conditions are compared to a typical season.

What This Means for Sarawak

For households and businesses across Sarawak, the practical takeaway is straightforward. Air Pollutant Index readings above 100 count as unhealthy, and several towns are already there.

During these periods, limiting prolonged time outdoors, especially for children, the elderly, and anyone with existing respiratory conditions, makes a real difference. A properly-fitted mask rated for fine particulates offers meaningful protection for anyone who needs to be outside for extended periods. That includes commuting, working outdoors, or running a stall in the open.

Haze season in Sarawak isn’t guaranteed every year, and it isn’t random either. Fire, dry weather, and wind direction all have to align. This year, they have.