All schools in Malaysia, apart from Kelantan, will be closed Monday and Tuesday, The Star reported on its website, citing Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid.
Advertisement
Companies seeking to clear land for palm oil and pulp wood plantations have been accused of encouraging the fires that often smoulder for weeks in underground peat deposits.
Indonesia on September 14, declared a state of emergency in a province choked with thick haze from forest fires, as fears mounted that worsening air quality could affect the upcoming Grand Prix in neighbouring Singapore.
Wan Junaidi urged Indonesia to immediately enforce stringent laws on those involved in the forest fires that caused the haze.
The WWF said that, unlike regulators in Brazil and China, there are no “green” guidelines for lending in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. “This is not a problem that you can solve quickly”.
“The problem is, most of the fires were happening outside of known (land) concession boundaries”, said WRI research analyst Andika Putraditama.
Indonesia has for years faced pressure from its neighbours to look into this problem, but the haze has now become an annual feature.
“We are grateful for the measures, but we think it will take too long”.
Though the crisis grips the region nearly every year during the dry season, scientists predict the current outbreak could surpass 1997 levels, when out-of-control forest fires sent pollution soaring to record highs in an environmental disaster that cost an estimated US$9 billion.
Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi has said Jakarta’s efforts were not enough and it should seek more regional help.
Ten companies that manufacture paper products sold in Singapore declared on Monday that they do not use products from those five Indonesian firms under suspicion, and instead source sustainably.
Advertisement
Thailand’s government has yet to comment publicly on the haze, which for nearly a month has been causing health conerns in Singapore and Malaysia and has posed a threat to tourism in southern Thailand. Since Kalimantan ( the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo) was facing extremely dry climate and strong winds, it made the fire worse.
