THE Malaysia Day celebration in Sarawak on Sept 16 will go ahead as scheduled, but the event will be held entirely indoors amid worsening haze in Kuching and Serian.
The celebration will take place at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK), with the main event expected to be held at night.
Unity Government spokesman Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said the Cabinet had taken note of the haze situation and agreed that outdoor activities could not proceed under the current conditions.
“The Malaysia Day celebration on Sept 16 will continue at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching.
“However, the haze situation, which is quite concerning in Kuching and Serian, means outdoor activities cannot continue,” he told reporters after the Cabinet meeting today.
The haze has also prompted renewed attention on plans for cloud-seeding operations in Sarawak.
Fahmi said any such operation would depend on assessments by the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), adding that Natural Resources Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup had briefed the Cabinet on the matter.
He said the cloud formations currently detected were not suitable for cloud seeding.
“The cloud formations detected are not suitable. The clouds are over the South China Sea. If we carry out cloud seeding, the rain will not fall in the areas where it is needed,” Fahmi said.
He said MetMalaysia would continue monitoring conditions before determining whether the operation could be carried out.
The National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) had previously announced plans for cloud-seeding operations in Sarawak, Kedah and Perlis from Sept 3 to 5 following worsening haze in the states.
For Sarawak, however, the immediate change will be to bring the Malaysia Day celebrations indoors as authorities continue to monitor the air quality. – September 2, 2026
