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API hits 750 in Muar, emergency status declared

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia declared emergency status in two parts of the southern state of Johor yesterday as smoke from fires in Indonesia pushed air pollution to hazardous levels.

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June 24, 9am update: According to the Malaysian Department of Environment website, the API reading in Muar has dipped to 148 ("unhealthy") this morning. But air quality still remained at hazardous levels in one area, Port Dickson in Negeri Sembilan, where the API reading stood at 335 as of 7am.

 

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia declared emergency status in two parts of the southern state of Johor yesterday as smoke from fires in Indonesia pushed air pollution to hazardous levels.

The illegal burning of forests and other land on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, to the west of peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, to clear space for palm oil plantations is a chronic problem during the June-September dry season.

“Prime Minister Najib Razak has agreed to declare emergency status in Muar and Ledang with immediate effect,” Malaysian Natural Resources and Environment Minister G Palanivel said in a Facebook post. He said the Air Pollution Index (API) in the two districts had exceeded 750. A reading above 300 indicates that air pollution is hazardous. At 5pm yesterday, the reading had gone down to 507.

Johor Education Director Mohd Nor A Ghani said more than 420 schools in Muar, Ledang, Segamat, Batu Pahat and Kluang have been ordered to temporarily close. Some 300 schools in other parts of the state, however, would reopen following improvements in the air quality.

Residents have been advised to stay indoors and face masks have been distributed, said Johor Chief Minister Khaled Nordin.

Mr Palanivel had said cloud-seeding would be carried out in areas affected by the haze.

But the Department of Environment Director-General Halimah Hassan said later yesterday that based on its observations, cloud seeding to reduce the smog, especially in Muar and Ledang, cannot be carried out due to the dry weather and cloudless sky. She added that the process could be done in the coming days depending on the weather conditions.

Schools have also been ordered shut in the neighbouring state of Malacca, where pollution reached hazardous levels, The Star reported.

Other areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution , including Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Pahang, have also ordered their schools to shut today as the haze situation had worsened.

In Kuala Lumpur, landmarks like the Petronas Twin Towers were obscured amid hot, humid conditions. All domestic airports managed by Malaysia Airports Holdings are operating as usual, the national news agency quoted the firm as saying.

The current visibility level of 1km was still safe, but runways would have to close if visibility fell under 300m, said Malaysian Airports official Azmi Murad.

Malaysia’s highest recording for the pollution index was 860 in 1997, one of the region’s worst years for smog sparked by Indonesian blazes.

Jakarta has sent planes to help douse the fires in Sumatran peat swamp forests and sought to deflect criticism over its response to the crisis.

Some officials have said Malaysian and Singaporean firms should also be held responsible because they have stakes in plantation land where the fires are raging.

Several of the firms have denied knowledge of the fires. In past years, similar blazes have been illegally set as a cheap method to clear land. The Indonesian authorities said they are investigating if anyone can be prosecuted for the current fires.

Malaysia will send Mr Palanivel to Indonesia on Wednesday to meet officials, the government said in an emailed statement. “It is important that ASEAN nations work together in a spirit of cooperation to tackle this problem,” it added.

Mr Najib said Malaysia was willing to help Indonesia. “The government is committed in overcoming the haze. Lately, we have offered cloud seeding services to Indonesia. May this haze end soon,” he tweeted. Agencies

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