Malaysia, RI in crisis talks over haze
Malaysia, RI in crisis talks over haze
Agencies, Kuala Lumpur
Schools closed, flights were canceled and people stayed
indoors as a noxious haze blamed on forest fires in Indonesia
thickened Wednesday to dangerous levels over Kuala Lumpur and
surrounding towns, the Associated Press reported.
Malaysia announced it would hold crisis talks with Indonesia
over the choking haze caused by forest fires in Sumatra which
reached hazardous levels in parts of the country Wednesday.
In Port Klang, a major shipping centre just west of the
capital Kuala Lumpur, the air pollution index (API) shot up to
410. Several other parts of the country recorded levels in excess
of 300 which is considered officially "hazardous".
"If the API hits 500 we will declare it an emergency,"
Environment Minister Adenan Satem said. "The situation is not
getting better, it is getting worse.
"The cabinet has also instructed me to go to Jakarta to meet
our counterparts to identify long-term and short-term measures to
fight the haze. We will try to go as soon as possible," he said,
as quoted by Agence France Presse.
Satem showed satellite images of Indonesia's Riau and North
Sumatra provinces on Sumatra island where hundreds of forest
fires are raging, sending pollutants across the Malacca Strait
and onto Malaysia's central west coast.
Satem said the haze, which appeared suddenly last week and has
hung in a persistent brown cloud, is concentrated over Klang
Valley. The valley includes Malaysia's main city Kuala Lumpur,
the administrative capital Putrajaya and a sprawling residential
neighborhood, Petaling Jaya.
Flights at the Subang airport near Kuala Lumpur, used
primarily by charter and private aircraft, were suspended after
visibility plunged to less than 400 meters (1,300 feet), Daud
Hosnan, senior operations manager for Malaysia Airports, told AP.
In downtown Kuala Lumpur, where the smoke even filtered into
air-conditioned offices, nothing could be seen beyond 500 meters
The Environment Ministry stated that air quality in three
places including Kuala Lumpur suburb Shah Alam had become
"hazardous" and Putrajaya and Petaling Jaya were "very
unhealthy". Hospitals reported a spurt in respiratory and eye
ailments from the dust and smoke-laden white haze, causing red
eyes, runny noses, wheezing coughs and sore throats.
Health Minister Chua Soi Lek urged people to drink more water,
cut down outdoor activities, wear protective masks and to refrain
from smoking.
The Kuala Lumpur Education Department said all schools would
be closed Thursday and Friday after many students reported
breathing problems, the Star newspaper reported. People walked
about with masks over their noses and mouths, or simply used
handkerchiefs to shield themselves from the acrid, throat-burning
smoke.