General : Haze: Johor Wants ASEAN To Call For A Meeting To Discuss Future Preventive Measures
JOHOR BAHRU, Oct 16 (Bernama) -- The Johor State Government has called on ASEAN nations to hold an emergency meeting to strengthen fire control and prevention measures as well as hotspot monitoring in the future.
Johor's Menteri Besar, Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, has urged an urgent Asean meeting and enhanced regional collaboration to address transboundary haze, as the state endured its 53rd consecutive day of smoke and haze since August 25th. To prevent future haze occurrences, he emphasized the need for improved fire prevention measures, better hotspot monitoring, and improved firefighting responses.
The issue was brought up during a state-level disaster coordination assembly, during which Onn Hafiz cautioned that the prolonged haze poses significant risks to public health and everyday life. According to data from the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre, there were 453 hotspots in Indonesia's Kalimantan and 153 in Sumatra, highlighting worries about fires and smoke crossing national boundaries.
Pasir Gudang reported an Air Pollutant Index (API) reading of 198, nearing the "very unhealthy" level of 201, followed by Larkin (196), Pengerang (180), Kota Tinggi (171), Batu Pahat (170), Kluang (164), Tangkak (159), and Segamat (155). All eight Johor monitoring stations logged unhealthy air quality, with PM2.5 identified as the primary pollutant.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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