Four infrastructure projects are being pursued in Puncak Borneo, with a Phase 2 water-supply scheme intended to reach 18 villages. The package includes the Puncak Borneo Phase 2 water project, the RM45 million expansion of the Bengoh Resettlement Scheme, the Biya–Jabir Road project and the RM85 million SMK Puncak Borneo. Their statuses are not the same: the water scheme has faced pipeline-route objections and redesign work; the road project has recently gone out to tender; and the school has approval, funding and an identified site but is still awaiting implementation. A separate RM12.6 million acute water system in Kampung Bengoh is planned for expansion to Kampung Petag, Kampung Sitang and Kampung Bangau. The Phase 2 scheme is also planned to use Kampung Sapit as a distribution centre for Kampung Assum, Kampung Parang and surrounding areas. For Padawan residents, the immediate question is not just the size of the package but when each project moves from approval or tender into visible work.

A RM119 million upgrade for 17.1km of Sarawak’s Pan Borneo “redline” sections has entered a 16-month work window, with completion targeted for early 2028. The short-stretch package covers nine locations, including Lachau, Selangau, Balingian, Kemena, Sebiew and Tudan. It will upgrade pavement structures and road-safety features. The contractor received the site on Sept 17, and Sarawak JKR and the Works Ministry will monitor the work. The redline is not one continuous 17.1km route. It refers to 136.74km of sections left out of the original Pan Borneo project. The current package is the 17.1km short stretch; a separate 119.64km long stretch is still being refined for implementation. For Sarawak road users, the useful next check is how work is staged at the nine locations and whether the contractor can beat the 16-month schedule. The update did not include a detailed traffic-management timetable.

All primary and secondary schools under the Lubok Antu and Kanowit District Education Offices have been ordered to close temporarily as haze pushed API readings above 200. The Sarawak Education Department said the closure took effect immediately on Sept 21. Home-based teaching and learning will continue under Ministry of Education disaster-management guidance. Schools near districts with API readings above 200 may also consider PdPR, with pupils’ health and safety as the deciding factor. At 9am, Lubok Antu and Kanowit recorded API readings of 205 and 209. By 10am, the two readings had risen to 207 and 212, both in the very unhealthy range. The department said schools may prepare for reopening if the API trend falls below 200; no fixed reopening date was announced. Parents and students should follow the latest school or education-department notice before preparing to return.

Sarawak’s tourism sector regained momentum in August, with 439,968 visitor arrivals—up 6.53 per cent from the same month last year—and RM1.137 billion in receipts. International arrivals rose 12.6 per cent to 275,800. But the first eight months still totalled 3,160,448 arrivals, 1.41 per cent below the same period last year, so the August rebound has not erased the earlier shortfall. Sarawak’s tourism authorities expect the final quarter to be stronger, while acknowledging that haze could cause leisure travellers to postpone trips. The more-than-four-million year-end expectation is therefore still a forecast, not a confirmed outcome. For Kuching businesses and travellers, the useful signal is a busier August alongside a season that remains sensitive to air quality and programme schedules.

Sarawak accounted for 11 of Malaysia’s 21 “unhealthy” air-quality stations at 8.30am on Monday, with Kuching recording an API reading of 158. Serian was the highest in the state at 168, followed by Kapit at 166 and Sri Aman at 160. Miri and Bintulu also recorded 158, while Samarahan was 157, Sibu 156 and Samalaju 155. The readings show the haze remains a broad state-level problem rather than being confined to one town. The Department of Environment said it is continuing round-the-clock monitoring. Wind direction and hotspot activity can change the numbers during the day, so residents should check the latest API before deciding on prolonged outdoor activity, especially if they are in a vulnerable group.

Bintulu Port Sdn Bhd has been appointed the approved operator of Bintulu Port for 30 years, under a notification published in the Sarawak Government Gazette. The wholly owned Bintulu Port Holdings subsidiary’s appointment runs from Sept 1, 2026 to Aug 31, 2056. Bintulu Port Authority said the appointment was approved by the Sarawak Legislative Assembly and made under Section 12(2)(a) of the Port Authorities Ordinance 1961. The operator will continue under the terms of a Heads of Agreement until a Port Operation Concession Agreement is executed. That means the 30-year appointment is now gazetted, while the final concession document remains a separate step in the port’s operating framework. For Sarawak, the decision sets the long-term legal and operating basis for one of the state’s major ports. The next material update will be the execution of the concession agreement and its detailed conditions.

Bebuling Short Take-Off and Landing Airport in Spaoh, Betong has completed its first trial landing, bringing the rural facility closer to service while leaving the commercial launch date open. A Super King 300 aircraft landed at the newly completed STOLport on Friday after departing Kuching at 10am. The trial was described as smooth, but further discussions on safety, operations and maintenance must be completed before licensing and commercial operations are finalised. The RM248.03 million facility has a runway of about 1.19km and is designed to support passenger flights as well as cargo linked to agriculture and other local industries. A Kuching-Bebuling flight is expected to take about 15 minutes, compared with roughly three hours by road to Betong. The trial is therefore a readiness milestone, not an announcement of scheduled flights. The next public detail to watch is the licensing and safety approval process.

Haze worsened across Sarawak on Friday, with Kuching still in the unhealthy range and Kanowit becoming the state’s first monitoring station to reach the very unhealthy category. Kanowit’s Air Pollutant Index (API) rose from 186 at 8am to 209 at 2pm, according to Sarawak’s API status data. Kapit also moved from moderate to unhealthy at 152. Kuching improved from 192 at 8am to 178 at 2pm, while Samarahan fell from 184 to 171 and Lundu from 176 to 142. Even so, 13 locations remained in the unhealthy band at 2pm, including Sibu, Sarikei, Bintulu, Betong and Sri Aman. An API reading of 101 to 200 is classified as unhealthy, while 201 to 300 is very unhealthy. Bario was the only location in the good category at 2pm, with a reading of 50. Residents should check the latest station reading before spending long periods outdoors, especially if they are children, older adults or have respiratory and heart conditions.

Sarawak is planning three waste-to-energy plants across the northern, central and southern regions, with a potential combined capacity of up to 1,330 megawatts. The proposal would use satellite collection centres to channel municipal, wood, biomass, animal and industrial waste to the plants. The state says the model could address two problems at once: reduce the amount of waste sent for disposal and add another source of electricity. The plan is part of Sarawak's circular-economy push. A separate landfill-gas pilot at the Kuching Integrated Waste Management Park in Mambong has been described as having potential to generate up to 3MW from 700 tonnes of daily waste when fully scaled up. The 1,330MW figure is a potential capacity, not electricity already being generated. The latest announcement does not name the three plant sites, set a construction timetable or confirm the final regulatory framework; a new waste-to-energy ordinance has been proposed for next year.

A RM10 million project will add visitor facilities to the community-run Tagang system at Kampung Terbat Mawang in Serian. The development, under the Greater Kuching Coordinated Development Agency, involves 4.84 hectares and is planned to include a pavilion, parking area, mini market, toilets, gazebos, a substation, cafeteria and campsite. The Tagang system is a community-based way of protecting and restoring river and fish resources. The Terbat initiative involves three villages — Terbat Mawang, Terbat Leban and Muara Ahi — so the project is also intended to create more income opportunities around a resource the villages already manage. The latest announcement confirms the allocation and proposed facilities, but does not give a construction timetable or opening date. For Kuching-area visitors, that distinction matters: the project is a future rural-tourism upgrade, not a newly opened attraction.

The BUDI Diesel subsidy transfer facility has been widened with immediate effect, allowing a registered vehicle owner to transfer eligibility to any eligible Malaysian citizen who is the vehicle’s designated actual user. The change matters to private diesel pickup and four-wheel-drive owners in Sarawak who use family vehicles or vehicles bought through informal “sambung bayar” arrangements. Transfer of subsidy eligibility does not transfer ownership of the vehicle. A registered owner with more than one eligible diesel vehicle may transfer the monthly entitlement for those vehicles to a maximum of three actual users, subject to the scheme’s conditions and the number of eligible vehicles. Applications are made through the BUDI MADANI portal or at an Inland Revenue Board office. The deadline matters: applications submitted by the 27th of a month can be processed for use from the first day of the following month, subject to data checks. A transfer is generally allowed only once for each vehicle, and a recipient may receive a transfer from only one registered owner.

A one-off RM500 flight aid will be given to 7,095 eligible new students entering public universities, polytechnics and community colleges for the September and October intakes. The assistance is for domestic flights between Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan. It is particularly relevant to Sarawak families sending students across the South China Sea for the start of term. The aid was announced in Kuching on Sept 16. The Transport Ministry is expected to release the implementation details, including how eligible students will receive it, so families should wait for the formal procedure before making assumptions about reimbursement or application deadlines.

Miri Hospital is seeking another 4,000 blood donors to reach its 10,000-donor target for the year. The hospital had recorded about 6,000 donors by August, and is aiming to collect at least 1,000 donors a month through the end of 2026 to keep supplies steady. The appeal was made at a Malaysia Day blood-donation programme in Miri, where organisers said voluntary donation has been the city’s established model since 1979. Blood collected in Miri can also be supplied to hospitals in Marudi and Limbang when needed. For Sarawak residents, the practical point is straightforward: regular voluntary donors help keep the state’s northern blood supply available beyond a single campaign day. People considering donation should use the hospital or Malaysian Red Crescent’s current channels to check eligibility and the next session.

Sarawak is setting a new target of 50 million trees by 2030 after exceeding its previous five-year planting goal. The target comes under Malaysia Greening Programme 2.0. The state had planted more than 35 million trees between 2021 and 2025, according to the latest forestry update. The programme is being linked to a broader push to make forests support rural livelihoods as well as conservation. A southern-zone non-timber forest products expo held from July 31 to Aug 9 brought together 40 community-based entrepreneurs and generated RM501,677.70 in sales. That combination matters for Sarawak’s forest policy: the next phase is being presented not only as a planting exercise, but also as an attempt to create income from non-timber products, ecosystem services, biodiversity and ecotourism while keeping natural resources under sustainable management.

Sarawak is exploring Hong Kong partnerships to bring more investment and commercial opportunities into its semiconductor and deep-tech ambitions. The discussion took place in Kuching on Tuesday during a meeting involving Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Tun Openg, SMD Semiconductor and venture-capital firm Gobi Partners. The areas under consideration include institutional and strategic investment, co-investment opportunities, and the commercialisation of emerging technology. The proposal links two different strengths: Hong Kong’s finance and innovation networks, and Sarawak’s developing semiconductor, digital-infrastructure and technology base. It is still at the exploration stage, with the next task being to identify specific projects where the partners can work together. For Sarawak, the significance is less about an immediate new factory than about building routes to capital, talent and technology partners as the state tries to move from semiconductor manufacturing support into locally developed products.

All Sarawak schools are due to return to normal classes on Sept 17 after the latest air-quality readings moved out of the unhealthy range. The Sarawak Education Department said Lubok Antu district schools, the last group affected by the haze-related suspension, would resume physical lessons on Thursday. The latest 8am readings cited by See Hua Daily News placed Kuching at 75, Serian at 70 and Kota Samarahan at 68 — all in the moderate range. Families in areas where smoke or fine particles still linger may keep a child at home if health concerns remain, but the absence must be reported to the school. Air quality can change during the day, so parents should continue checking official updates rather than treating the reopening as an end to all haze precautions.

Sarawak is upgrading former logging roads so remote communities can reach clinics by land instead of relying on helicopter services for routine healthcare access. The road push includes routes in Baram and Marudi, with about 142 kilometres of JKR R3-standard roads and a much wider network planned statewide. Reports from DayakDaily and The Borneo Post put the broader completion target between 2030 and 2032, depending on the project scope. The policy matters beyond travel time: a road is available day and night, while air services depend on aircraft, weather and operating conditions. The state has not said that helicopters will disappear immediately. The next useful measure will be which stretches are funded, opened and connected to clinics and longhouses in each remote district.

Sarawak will host the 2029 Islamic Solidarity Games, bringing a 57-country competition to a state still preparing for next year's SEA Games. The event is expected to be centred in Kuching, with Serian being considered for some competitions. Sarawak has received the hosting rights and an agreement has been signed, according to reports from DayakDaily and The Borneo Post. The final sports programme and detailed budget are not yet fixed. The early estimate reported by The Borneo Post puts the cost at about RM400 million to RM450 million, above the RM350 million allocation cited for the SEA Games. For Kuching, the practical test will be whether venue upgrades, transport and accommodation plans can handle athletes, officials, crews and supporters from across the OIC membership.

Sarawak expects as many as 30,000 people may need palliative care by 2030, Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian said. Dr Sim said the state is expanding access to end-of-life care through the free Hospice and Palliative Care Centre, which is run by Kuching Life Care Society with Ministry of Health hospital services operating on its premises. The centre increased its capacity from eight beds to 16 after opening its service in April. He said palliative care is also planned as part of the Sarawak Cancer Centre, currently targeted to operate by 2032. The projection is an estimate, not a confirmed patient count, and the report did not announce a final statewide bed target. The immediate issue is capacity: the centre’s growth has outpaced workforce expansion, while families who cannot afford home hospice care still need accessible support near the end of life.

Sarawak’s first phase of a Special Needs Community Centre in Samarahan is targeted for completion by May 2028. Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said the state government has approved RM30 million under the 13th Malaysia Plan for the first phase. The centre is intended to provide support ranging from early intervention and rehabilitation to skills development, employment preparation and longer-term residential care. The minister said the residential component is meant to address future needs of people who may no longer have parents or guardians able to care for them. The project is planned in phases, so the May 2028 target is not a claim that the full lifelong-support system will be ready by then. The state also reported that 745 children had received early-intervention services by the end of 2025, including 673 in Kuching and the remainder at OSEIC Dalat.