On Friday, the air quality index in Serian crossed 500. According to Malaysian standards, an air pollution index above 300 is hazardous and this level is sufficient to declare a state of emergency.

As the situation deteriorated, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the government is monitoring the situation around the clock and has instructed that prompt necessary measures be taken for public safety.

Malaysia has launched a three-day cloud seeding operation in Sarawak to combat the wildfire smoke. Similarly, Indonesia has also taken up cloud seeding efforts to control the fires and reduce the risk of new fires spreading.

Indonesia's disaster management agency said 34 aircraft were used for this operation in various parts of the country from August 26 to September 2.