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.