Malaysia closes schools in capital and states due to Indonesian haze
Malaysian education authorities ordered school closures in Kuala Lumpur and several states on Friday because forest fires in Indonesia caused unhealthy air pollution levels.
Affected areas include four states
The Education Ministry announced full closures for Johor, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, and Selangor. Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya are also closed as federal territories. A partial closure was ordered in the Rompin district of Pahang state.
Air quality reaches hazardous levels
Government data recorded unhealthy air pollutant index readings in 37 areas on Friday morning. The capital Kuala Lumpur hit a reading of around 224 according to Swiss monitor IQAir. Malaysia's King stated schools should close when the index reaches 150 or higher.
Regional cooperation discussed by leaders
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim met with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto regarding the smoke issue. The Malaysian leader asked his foreign minister to push for a regional meeting. Officials noted that toxic smoke from peatland fires has shrouded the region for over a month.
All 3 outlets report consistently
No differences in figures, names or dates across these reports.
- Business Recorder
- Phys.org
- Dawn
Reported by
3 independent outlets. Headlines as published. Links open the original report.