Malaysia, Indonesia to ramp up anti-haze measures ahead of National Day

Malaysia and Indonesia have agreed to intensify their efforts to combat cross-border haze and maintain high air quality, particularly ahead of the National Day and Malaysia Day celebrations. This commitment was reached following a telephone conversation between Malaysia's Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister, Arthur Joseph Kurup, and his Indonesian counterpart, Environment Minister Jumhur Hidayat.

Kurup emphasized that both nations are fully committed to implementing prevention and early suppression measures in anticipation of the expected intensification of El Nino effects by October, which coincides with the southwest monsoon season.

The 69th National Day festivities are scheduled to be held at Dataran Putrajaya on August 31, while Malaysia Day will be celebrated in Kuching, Sarawak, on September 16. Kurup expressed gratitude to Indonesia for granting official clearance to Malaysian cloud-seeding aircraft to access its airspace and target areas along the shared border. He further detailed that the National Disaster Management Agency and meteorological department are working on a timetable to coordinate their operations with the Indonesian armed forces.

Regarding current air quality, as of 10 a.m. today, 10 areas spread across four Malaysian states were recorded with unhealthy air pollutant index readings, with Serian in Sarawak registering the highest figure at 197. This reading is close to the threshold for very unhealthy air quality. Kurup confirmed that Malaysia remains ready to provide assistance in firefighting efforts if Indonesia requires support at any time, pending Cabinet approval.