Malaysia closes schools as haze from Indonesian fires reaches unhealthy levels

Malaysia closed schools in Kuala Lumpur, the administrative capital Putrajaya and the states of Johor, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang and Selangor on Friday 9 October, according to Al Jazeera. The outlet reported the closures affected roughly two million students. Al Jazeera reported Kuala Lumpur recorded an Air Pollutant Index (API) reading of about 170, while DW reported air quality in the capital remained at "unhealthy" levels. The API is a government-run measure of air quality.

DW reported that Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek announced which schools would close fully and which would operate partially in five states and two federal territories. She said she had instructed all state education departments and district education offices to keep monitoring the haze and act immediately if conditions required it. She said future closure decisions would be communicated in advance so parents have enough time to prepare.

King Sultan Ibrahim said schools should be closed whenever air-quality readings reach 150 or higher on the API, DW and Al Jazeera reported. Malaysian guidelines classify API readings above 100 as unhealthy, above 200 as very unhealthy, above 300 as hazardous, and readings beyond 500 as the threshold for declaring a local emergency, Al Jazeera reported.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto had agreed to take measures to tackle the haze, but did not provide details, DW and Al Jazeera reported. Anwar said he had asked Malaysia's foreign minister to push for an urgent meeting of ASEAN environment ministers, and that Kuala Lumpur is stepping up cloud seeding to trigger rain, Al Jazeera reported.

Al Jazeera reported, citing its correspondent Jessica Washington, that fires burned across six Indonesian provinces with at least 200,000 hectares scorched. Indonesia's Ministry of Health recorded more than 170,000 respiratory infections, Al Jazeera reported, adding the actual figure is likely higher because it covers only those who sought healthcare. DW reported the fires have affected millions of people since August.

Singapore's air quality fell into the "very unhealthy" range, according to IQAir, Al Jazeera reported. DW reported IQAir ranked Kuala Lumpur the world's second most polluted city, behind Singapore. Organisers of Singapore's Formula One weekend, set to start on Friday and end on Sunday, said they would race regardless, with masks and extra medics, adding it is "not a threat", according to Al Jazeera.