Haze: Agong decrees school closures for areas with API above 150, Anwar reaches out to Prabowo

 

Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar has called for students' safety and health to be prioritised amid the haze, advising schools in affected areas to be closed, particularly where Air Pollutant Index (API) readings remain between 150 and 180 for prolonged periods.

“The Education Ministry must take this matter seriously.

“Appropriate measures must be taken by the ministry and relevant agencies to protect students, the elderly and those with respiratory illnesses,” Bernama reported His Majesty saying.

Sultan Ibrahim also urged the public to take health precautions, including wearing face masks and reducing outdoor activities.

Yesterday, Johor announced a two-day closure of schools following a decree by Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim following worsening haze and air quality across the state.

According to the Environment Department’s Air Pollutant Index Management System (Apims), 38 areas nationwide recorded unhealthy API readings as of 9am today.

Segamat, Johor, recorded the highest reading at 187, followed by Nilai, Negeri Sembilan (183).

Other affected areas included Johan Setia (178), Shah Alam (170), Banting (167), Klang (166), Petaling Jaya (165) and Kuala Selangor (155).

'Prabowo agrees to act'

On a related matter, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he had personally contacted Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to address the cross-border air pollution.

Anwar also said Prabowo agreed to take the necessary measures to tackle the issue.

"The haze situation is indeed worrying.

“I have personally contacted Prabowo, and he agreed to take the necessary steps," Anwar told reporters after inspecting preparations for the tabling of Budget 2027 at the Finance Ministry in Putrajaya today.

According to Bernama, Anwar said that Malaysia has expressed readiness to assist Indonesia in tackling the haze.

"Various steps have been taken to mitigate the impact.

“For instance, the air force and relevant agencies have increased cloud seeding operations almost daily, but the situation remains worrying," he said.

Anwar has also instructed Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan and Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Arthur Joseph Kurup to engage their counterparts.

Mohamad was further tasked with requesting the Asean Secretariat to convene an urgent meeting of regional environment ministers.

Indonesian govt sued

Meanwhile, the Indonesian government is facing mounting backlash at home and abroad over prolonged transboundary haze caused by ongoing forest fires.

An Indonesian group called the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (Aman), alongside several other NGOs, has filed a lawsuit alleging "gross negligence" by the state.

Prabowo (above) and the governor of West Kalimantan are among the 10 defendants named in the suit.

The plaintiffs are demanding comprehensive environmental restoration and rehabilitation measures, as well as full funding for local residents' medical costs incurred from haze-related health issues.

However, the hearing at the West Kalimantan provincial capital of Pontianak was adjourned to Oct 21 after none of the named defendants or their representatives appeared in court on Wednesday.

"We are disappointed by their absence... but we also understand that the severe haze may have prevented their flights from landing in Pontianak," plaintiffs' lawyer Glorio Sanen told reporters outside the courthouse.

Indonesia, the world's largest palm oil producer, continues to face international scrutiny for failing to curb illegal "slash-and-burn" land clearing practices, despite official promises of strict enforcement and military deployment to extinguish fires.

The forest fires have escalated to crisis levels this year, aggravated by a severe El Niño weather pattern that brought prolonged drought across the region. - Mkini