Malaysia closes schools in capital, parts of country due to haze
Under Malaysian guidelines, API readings above 100 are classified as unhealthy, above 200 as very unhealthy, above 300 as hazardous, while readings beyond 500 constitute the threshold for declaring a local emergency.
Malaysia shuttered schools in Kuala Lumpur and several other regions on Friday due to hazardous air quality caused by forest and peatland fires in neighboring Indonesia, according to Malaysian guidelines. The school closures were announced as air pollution levels surged, with a Swiss-based monitor ranking the capital among the world's most polluted cities.
The Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek instructed widespread school closures, including four states, two federal territories, and a partial closure in Pahang State. Malaysia's Sultan Ibrahim stated that schools should close when API readings hit 150 or higher. The country's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim met with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to discuss the fire situation, which experts attribute to a strong El Nino weather phenomenon worsening pollution conditions.
Malaysia has implemented measures such as cloud seeding to combat the haze, and Anwar requested an urgent regional meeting between environmental ministers of the 11-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Meanwhile, Singapore's air quality also dropped into the "very unhealthy" range with a reading of 205.
Written by urgent.news from The Jakarta Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
