Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian authorities today ordered most of the country’s schools shut for two days because of possible health risks posed by the thick haze from Indonesian forest fires.
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Indonesia has come under pressure in the past few weeks to contain the annual haze crisis, which is caused by slash-and-burn agriculture on Sumatra island and its part of Borneo island.
Having said this, Wan Junaidi said the Malaysian government would still need a tremendous amount of funding to equip all stations nationwide with machines that could carry out readings based on the PM2.5 benchmark.
Poor visibility forced several airports to be closed for hours on Sunday and a popular annual marathon in Kuala Lumpur was also cancelled. “Our hawkers’ businesses have also dropped by 30 per cent. I think medical expenses for most people have also gone up (due to haze)”, she told reporters at the Mid-Autumn Gathering here tonight.
Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi has said Jakarta’s efforts were not enough and it should seek more regional help. The rapid growth of palm oil plantations, now covering over 11 million hectares in Indonesia – an area bigger than Iceland – has been a leading cause of fires and deforestation.
“We hope its commitment is not only on paper or mere statements pleasant to the ears, but through implementation which could end all haze problems”, he was quoted as saying by Bernama.
Malaysia’s Meteorological Department, however, reported good news, forecasting that the haze would clear from Saturday with the start of the monsoon season.
Organisers said it was the first time that the Singapore leg of the FINA World Championships hsd been cancelled since the city-state hosted the competition in 2007.
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The world body had already announced on Friday that it chose to cancel the longer distance events and had contingency plans to call off whole sessions if the pollution levels deteriorate.
