Malaysia ordered the closure of schools in several states and federal territories on Friday as smoky haze from forest fires in neighboring Indonesia pushed air pollution to unhealthy levels across parts of the country.
The affected areas include the states of Johor, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan and Selangor, as well as the capital Kuala Lumpur, the administrative center Putrajaya, and the Rompin district in Pahang state. Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek announced the closures in a Facebook post late Thursday, noting that state education departments would continue monitoring the situation.
The move affected roughly two million students. On Friday morning, 37 areas recorded unhealthy readings on Malaysia’s Air Pollutant Index (API), which classifies levels from 101 to 200 as unhealthy.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he had spoken with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who agreed to take necessary steps to address the issue, and called for an urgent regional meeting under the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Singapore also experienced deteriorating air quality, with some readings entering the “very unhealthy” range according to monitoring data. The haze has persisted for weeks, driven by fires across several Indonesian provinces.