Malaysia shuts schools as haze from Indonesian fires chokes Southeast Asia

Kuala Lumpur's Air Pollutant Index says air quality at unhealthy levels amid smog from forest fires.

Kuala Lumpur’s Air Pollutant Index says air quality at unhealthy levels amid smog from forest fires. Malaysia has closed schools in its capital and several states as smoke from Indonesian forest fires pushes air pollution to unhealthy levels. Schools were ordered to close on Friday across Kuala Lumpur, the administrative capital Putrajaya and in the states of Johor, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang and Selangor. The move, which affected roughly two million students, came as Kuala Lumpur recorded an Air Pollutant Index (API) reading of about 170. The API is a government-run measure of air quality. Singapore, at the southern end of the Malay Peninsula, saw its air quality fall into the “very unhealthy” range, according to IQAir.

“The haze issue is indeed at a worrying level,” said Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. He added that he had spoken to Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto, who had agreed to take “the necessary steps”. However, he offered no details on what that might entail. Anwar said he had asked Malaysia’s minister of foreign affairs to push for an urgent meeting of ASEAN environment ministers. Kuala Lumpur is stepping up cloud seeding to trigger rain, he added. “Appropriate measures must be taken by the relevant ministries and agencies to protect schoolchildren and students, including senior citizens and patients with respiratory illnesses,” King Sultan Ibrahim