Sarawak is expected to remain a major focus for infrastructure spending when Budget 2027 is tabled next month, with the Kuching Urban Transportation System among the projects analysts are watching. A TA Securities preview says the federal government could continue funding projects that narrow the development gap, including Pan Borneo Highway phases, rural roads and bridges, port and airport upgrades, flood mitigation, water treatment and electricity networks in East Malaysia. For Greater Kuching, the report singles out KUTS as a project that could receive continued support as it moves towards commercial operations. The next phase is expected to involve not just the autonomous trains, but also feeder buses, integrated ticketing, park-and-ride facilities and passenger information systems. That is an analyst forecast, not a confirmed allocation. The Finance Ministry’s pre-budget statement identifies regional development, infrastructure delivery and stronger economic resilience as priorities, but the actual projects and amounts will only be known when the budget is presented in Parliament on Oct 9. For Kuching commuters and businesses, the useful marker is whether the final document attaches firm funding and delivery milestones to KUTS and other transport links, rather than simply repeating broad development commitments.

A Bomba helicopter left Miri for the Long Lellang crash site at 11.06am on Wednesday after heavy rain delayed the operation. The flight to Long Lellang STOLport is expected to take about an hour. A police team that travelled by road overnight had reached the village by 11am and was expected to continue towards the site. The deployment follows Tuesday afternoon’s crash involving a Flying Doctor Service helicopter in Ulu Baram. DayakDaily reported earlier that 21 personnel from Bomba, police, Layang-Layang Aerospace and Malaysia Airports were being prepared in stages, with a forensic team due to follow the operations group. The condition and identities of those on board were still being confirmed in the latest reports, apart from one medical officer whose identity had been confirmed to her family. Sarawak police are expected to provide a further update at a press conference in Miri at 4pm.

Five people — a pilot, a doctor, a medical assistant and two nurses — were believed to be aboard a Flying Doctor Service helicopter that crashed while landing near Long Lellang in northern Sarawak on Tuesday afternoon. The Layang Layang Aerospace-operated BO105C came down near the Long Lellang Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) airport at about 3.32pm, at the end of Runway 04, according to preliminary reports. The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) said it received notification from the Flight Information Service at 3.58pm. A later local report said personnel at the scene reported five casualties at about 4.50pm, but the condition of those on board had not been officially confirmed at press time. The names circulating in early reports also remained unconfirmed by the relevant authorities. The Air Accident Investigation Bureau under the Transport Ministry will investigate the crash under Part XXVI of the Civil Aviation Regulations 2016. Further updates from CAAM, rescue agencies and the investigation team are needed before the outcome is clear.

Temporary Sarawak Energy billing help desks are next headed to Sibu, Bintulu and Miri, with the rollout expected to run through October. The utility began with a counter at Wisma SESCO in Kuching from Sept 2 to 4. The travelling service is for customers who want staff to go through account records, bill amounts or meter readings face to face. Sarawak Energy said it traced 22 billing concerns raised on Facebook. Staff have contacted 20 users; one case is still being followed up, while another user could not be identified from the post. If a bill looks wrong, bring the account and bill details, plus the relevant meter information, when lodging an appeal. The company may discuss a payment arrangement after reviewing the case. Exact dates, hours and venues for the three cities have not yet been announced.

Lundu and Serian recorded hazardous air quality early Tuesday, as haze conditions worsened across Sarawak. Readings at 6am put Lundu at API 329 and Serian at 303. Kuching was at 241, with Samarahan at 239, Tebedu at 242, Sri Aman at 230 and Lubok Antu at 212 — all in the very unhealthy range. The latest figures mark a sharp deterioration from Monday: Lundu had been at 260 at noon, while Serian rose from 222 to 303. Other stations, including Sarikei, Sibu, Mukah, Bintulu, Miri and Betong, remained unhealthy. Kapit and Limbang were below 100, while Bario recorded 38. Air quality can change through the day, so people in affected areas should check the latest official API reading before planning prolonged outdoor activity, especially for children, older people and those with breathing problems.

Serian’s haze emergency is over, but air quality remains poor in parts of Sarawak. The Prime Minister’s Office said on Sept 7 that the King had consented to end the declaration after Serian’s latest API readings fell out of the hazardous range. The emergency was declared on Sept 4, when the index went above 500. That decision does not mark the end of the haze episode. Kota Samarahan recorded an API reading of 226 at 8am, and several other areas were still in the very unhealthy band. Conditions may shift with wind direction and hotspot activity. Residents in affected areas should keep outdoor time down and follow the latest instructions from the authorities while monitoring local API updates.

Serian remains under a haze emergency, with non-essential workplaces closed while authorities wait for the air pollutant index to fall below 500. The emergency was declared after the district’s API climbed above the very hazardous threshold. Essential services, including supermarkets, petrol stations, banks and security forces, are allowed to operate. Schools in 12 districts — including Kuching, Padawan, Bau, Lundu, Samarahan and Serian — are closed from Sept 7 to 11. Lessons continue through home-based teaching during the closure. The order is confined to Serian; it is not a movement-control order. The emergency will be lifted when the API drops below 500, so residents should check official air-quality updates before making plans or travelling into the affected area.

A state of emergency has been declared in Serian district after its Air Pollutant Index crossed 500, the threshold classified as very hazardous. Serian’s API first passed 500 on Friday morning and reached 515 at 5pm, according to the latest reported reading. Kuching was at 306, while Samarahan and Sri Aman recorded 292 and 241 respectively. The declaration covers Serian district, about 60km southeast of Kuching. The Prime Minister’s Department said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong consented to the declaration after considering advice from the Prime Minister, Sarawak Premier and relevant agencies. Further measures will be taken to protect residents. The emergency status comes as smoke from fires in Indonesia continues to affect the region. School arrangements and other operating measures are being announced separately, so residents should follow the latest official notices rather than rely on an earlier API reading.

The proposed Sarawak–Singapore power link is still a negotiation: the cable route has not been settled and no construction date has been announced. Sarawak already exports electricity to West Kalimantan. Work to expand supply to Sabah and talks with Brunei sit within the Borneo grid, while a link towards the southern Philippines remains a possible later extension rather than an approved project. At a Kuching energy conference on Sept 3, Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Tun Openg said the Singapore talks were waiting on a decision about the cable corridor. Bilateral deals are moving first because ASEAN has yet to agree on a single framework for cross-border interconnections. Until there is a route decision and an agreed cross-border framework, the proposal is not ready to build. No commercial supply date was announced, and nothing in the update changes the current electricity supply to Kuching homes.

An RMAF C-130 took off from the Kuching air base on Sept 3 for Sarawak’s third cloud-seeding operation this year, turning an uncertain schedule into an actual mission. The three-day window runs through Sept 5. Crews are prioritising the Batang Ai, Murum and Bakun hydropower dams, then 13 water catchments across Samarahan, Sri Aman, Betong, Kapit and Limbang. Seeding can only happen when suitable moisture-rich clouds form between about 5,000 and 7,000 feet. That condition remains the limit. Earlier forecasts had found clouds unsuitable and winds pushing them out to sea; even after take-off, not every target is guaranteed to be seeded or receive rain. Officials said reservoir levels were lower than usual but still under control. The mission is meant to replenish dams and catchments, with cleaner air as a possible benefit rather than a promised result. Its effect will have to be measured through subsequent rainfall, reservoir levels and API readings — the flight itself does not guarantee immediate rain for Kuching.

Fire crews faced water, access and communications problems at three separate forest and peatland fires in Daro and Simunjan, according to the latest updates issued between Aug 31 and Sept 2. On Pulau Bruit, the Kampung Kut fire covered about 7.5 hectares. By the latest report, crews had extinguished 2.5 hectares and still had roughly five hectares to tackle. A second fire at Kampung Penuai, reported on Sept 1, affected about three hectares and was being contained away from nearby roads and homes. In Simunjan, a peat fire at Kampung Lubok Punggor affected about 3.5 hectares. Two hectares had been put out by the evening of Sept 2. Work stopped at 6.30pm for safety and was due to resume on the remaining 1.5 hectares the next day. Strong winds and thick smoke made hotspots harder to reach, while some sites had poor road and radio access. No cause had been confirmed, and no later outcome for the two Daro fires was available in the reports checked.

Thirty per cent of work in major Sarawak government projects will be allocated to Bumiputera firms under a policy announced by Premier Abang Johari Tun Openg. Speaking at the Malaysian Malay Contractors Association’s Sarawak meeting in Kuching on Sept 2, Abang Johari said the arrangement follows a model used by Sarawak Energy. Bumiputera contractors may also partner with non-Bumiputera companies when larger jobs require more technical capacity. At the same event, PKMM Sarawak said 60 of 61 projects in a RM200 million allocation had been awarded through a ballot managed by DAL HCM Sdn Bhd. Those contracts range from RM100,000 to several million ringgit. The RM200 million is the package cited by the association, not the announced value of all future work covered by the wider policy. The state has also provided heavy machinery to PKMM, while the Construction Industry Development Board is training local crane operators. No new application window or full tender list was announced, so firms will still need to follow the procurement notices for individual projects.

Sarawak voters have until Sept 30 to inspect a proposed electoral map that adds 17 state seats, including seven in and around greater Kuching. The Election Commission put the recommendations on public display on Sept 1. If the review is approved, the Sarawak Legislative Assembly would expand from 82 to 99 seats. Ten existing state constituencies would be renamed, while the Igan parliamentary seat would become Batang Lassa. For the Kuching area, the proposed additions are Matang and Semarak under Petra Jaya, Pasir Pandak under Santubong, Tabuan Jaya under Bandar Kuching, Maong under Stampin, Samarindah under Kota Samarahan and Sungai Serin under Puncak Borneo. The plans may be inspected at the locations named in the EC notice and through the commission’s official website. A formal representation must come from the Sarawak government, an affected local authority, or a group of at least 100 registered electors from an affected constituency. Valid objections will proceed to a local inquiry. No voter’s constituency has changed yet. The names and boundaries remain proposals, and the new seats may miss the next state election if the review is not completed in time.

Clean-water aid has reached two dry-spell-hit communities: 84 families in Biawak, Lundu and another 10 in Lingga, Sri Aman. The 2026 Dry Season Clean Water Delivery Report dated Aug 31 records 670 cartons of 1.5-litre bottled water for 335 residents of Kampung Pasir Hilir. Rumah Perindu at Sungai Pisang received 80 cartons for 40 residents. Together, the deliveries covered 375 people in 94 families. Lower river levels are also reducing the raw water available at some treatment intakes. The Sarawak Social Welfare Department is coordinating bottled-water aid with the Rural Water Supply Department, which handles tanker deliveries. Communities relying on rainwater, gravity-fed systems or SAWAS supplies are especially exposed during a long dry spell. Households with disrupted supply have been asked to report through their divisional or district Disaster Management Committee. The number of residents, daily drinking-water needs and expected duration of the shortage are used to determine assistance.

Sarawak’s Sept 3–5 cloud-seeding window does not guarantee rain: the latest federal update found the available clouds unsuitable and moving out to sea. The update on Sept 2 said prevailing winds were pushing cloud groups towards the South China Sea. Seeding them would risk producing rain away from the areas facing haze and low water reserves, so any flight remains subject to MetMalaysia’s assessment. NADMA’s plan covers eight Sarawak dam areas — Batang Ai, Bakun, Murum, Bengoh, Gerugu, Assyakirin, Sika and Matang — with MetMalaysia and the Royal Malaysian Air Force involved in the operation. At 4pm on Sept 2, Serian and Kuching recorded hazardous API readings of 325 and 309 respectively, giving the proposed operation an immediate public-health context. There was no confirmation in the latest reports that a seeding flight had taken off or been completed. The operation may proceed within the planned window only if later cloud and wind conditions are suitable.

Work has begun on a RM2.1 million Sungai Kayan riverbank project in Kampung Krusen Kranji, eight months after heavy rain triggered a landslide that cut the village’s main access road. The Sept 2 site handover starts a 12-month construction period ending Sept 1, 2027. The Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee is funding the job, while the Drainage and Irrigation Department’s Serian office is responsible for implementation and monitoring. The January landslide also damaged a suspension bridge at Kampung Krusen Siu. Authorities warned residents then not to use it; its RM900,000 replacement is still at final document-assessment stage and has no announced start date. Four smaller allocations have also been approved: RM150,000 for solar power in three Krusen villages, RM100,000 each for the Kampung Krusen Mawang community hall and village road, and RM280,000 for the Awah Gawai facility in Krusen Siu. Their schedules have not been announced.

Kenyalangsat-1 is still a research proposal: UiTM Sarawak has not announced a budget, mission, technical design or launch date. The nano-satellite was one item in a wider research package the Sarawak branch presented to the state government this week. The same package covers rare-earth and thorium recovery from Sarawak monazite, nipah-palm carbon credits, nano-based drinking-water filtration, rice farming in Mukah and microalgae biofuel. UiTM does have prior nano-satellite experience. Its official records describe UiTMSAT-1 and the later UiTMSAT-2 programme led by the university’s electrical engineering faculty. The latest announcement, however, does not say whether Kenyalangsat-1 will use that team, technology or existing partners. UiTM Sarawak has campuses in Samarahan and Mukah, but the announcement did not describe student roles or work assigned to either campus. Kenyalangsat-1 therefore remains an idea presented for consideration, not a satellite already under development.

Batik Air has agreed to resume Miri–Kuala Lumpur services, according to the Miri MP’s office, but no start date, frequency or timetable has been released. The announcement followed an appeal for the airline to reassess the route after residents reported difficulty finding seats, especially on weekends, public holidays and other peak periods. Until Batik Air publishes a schedule or opens the flights for sale, passengers should not treat the route as already operating. A return would add capacity on a corridor used by Miri and northern Sarawak residents, as well as some travellers from Brunei. It could also give passengers another option when seats are tight. For now, existing travel plans should be based on flights that are actually available in the booking system. The next firm update must come with the airline’s launch date and operating schedule.

A small rise in respiratory infections is showing up in Sarawak’s haze surveillance, while asthma numbers remain broadly stable statewide. Fifteen sentinel health facilities averaged about 1,752 upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) cases a week in recent weeks, compared with roughly 1,717 at the start of the year. The clearest spike came in mid-August: the Southern Zone recorded about 1,250 cases, the Central Zone more than 1,000 and the Northern Zone nearly 400. Between January and the end of August, the same facilities logged 64,688 URTI cases and 6,156 asthma cases from about 694,800 patient visits. Weekly conjunctivitis cases also rose from an average of 17 to 21. Sarawak General Hospital saw more asthma patients on several days in August, but the wider monitoring has not found a sustained statewide surge. The Sarawak Health Department is continuing surveillance and keeping medicines, equipment and staff ready. During smoky periods, residents should limit strenuous outdoor activity, wear a suitable mask when they need to go out, and seek treatment for breathing difficulty, a persistent cough or eye pain.

UNIMAS students should not assume the September semester will be fully online: only eligible programmes will move progressively into flexible hybrid teaching. Lectures and other suitable activities may be held through interactive online platforms, while laboratories, practical work, workshops, field activities and collaborative projects will remain on campus when a programme requires them. The arrangement covers eligible undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. The university said each faculty and centre will issue its own teaching format, attendance rules, timetable and programme guidance before the semester starts. The online and campus mix will therefore differ by course rather than follow one university-wide schedule. Students commuting from Kuching or Samarahan, or making accommodation plans, should use the timetable from their own faculty before changing arrangements. No programme-by-programme schedule had been published in the announcement.