Malaysia shuts schools as haze from Indonesian fires chokes Southeast Asia

What the report says

Malaysia closed schools in Kuala Lumpur and several states on Friday as haze from Indonesian forest fires pushed air quality to unhealthy levels across parts of Southeast Asia, according to Al Jazeera. The closures affected the capital, Putrajaya, and the states of Johor, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang and Selangor, with roughly two million students impacted. In Kuala Lumpur, the government’s Air Pollutant Index was reported at about 170, above the level considered unhealthy under Malaysian guidelines.

The report said Singapore also saw air quality fall into the “very unhealthy” range. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim called the haze worrying and said he had spoken with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto about taking necessary steps, while also asking for an urgent ASEAN environment ministers’ meeting. Kuala Lumpur is also increasing cloud seeding efforts to encourage rainfall, he said.

Malaysia’s king, Sultan Ibrahim, urged authorities to protect schoolchildren, older people and patients with respiratory conditions and said schools should close when API readings reach 150 or more. Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said parents would get more advance notice of future closures.

Al Jazeera also noted that the smoke follows a severe regional fire season in Indonesia, where drought and fires have affected multiple provinces. As background, haze episodes in Southeast Asia often trigger cross-border health, transport and diplomatic concerns because smoke can travel widely across the region.