Malaysia, Indonesia to synchronise haze suppression ops as monsoon and El Niño converge

Malaysia and Indonesia have agreed to enhance their collaborative efforts to combat cross-border haze, aimed at maintaining air quality, particularly ahead of the National Day and Malaysia Day festivities. This commitment was communicated during a recent telephone conversation between Malaysia's Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister, Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup, and his Indonesian counterpart, Environment Minister Jumhur Hidayat.

Both nations anticipate the intensification of the El Niño phenomenon by October 2026, which coincides with the Southwest Monsoon season. Consequently, they are determined to intensify preventative and early suppression actions to tackle the shared haze issue.

The 69th National Day celebration will be held at Dataran Putrajaya on August 31, while the Malaysia Day event will be observed in Kuching, Sarawak, on September 16. Arthur expressed his gratitude to Indonesia for granting authorization for cloud seeding operations, allowing the Malaysian operations to cross into Indonesian airspace, specifically targeting the areas along the common border.

Nadma (National Disaster Management Agency) and MetMalaysia (Malaysian Meteorological Department) are currently in the process of designing a timetable to synchronize operations with the Indonesian Armed Forces Commander.

Arthur also committed to standing by Malaysia in the event of a fire emergency, contingent upon Cabinet approval. The Malaysian government acknowledges and supports the swift actions taken by the Indonesian Government under President Prabowo, including the recruitment of 1,500 additional Indonesian National Armed Forces personnel, deployment of high-capacity helicopters for water-bombing missions, and the swift execution of weather modification operations in affected regions.

Arthur also highlighted that the Malaysian government will continue to monitor hotspot activity and air quality closely, working in close coordination with their Indonesian counterparts via robust communication channels. As of the latest data, 10 areas across four Malaysian states registered Air Pollutant Index (API) readings in the unhealthy range, with Serian, Sarawak reporting the highest figure, nearing the threshold for very unhealthy air quality.