Respiratory ailments have surged in number in towns and cities across the area as toxic smoke reaches them from peatland and forest fires, which have been smouldering for over a month.

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim talked to his fellow Indonesian counterpart about the smothering pollution and requested an emergency regional conference in the wake of the school closures.

Kuala Lumpur is this week at “unhealthy levels” of air pollution, with a Swiss-based air quality monitor putting the Malaysian capital among the world’s “most polluted global major cities” most days.

Neighbouring Singapore late Friday said it too was “ready to roll out” a haze pollution plan should air quality levels deteriorate.

Singapore’s air quality levels hovered on the edge of “very unhealthy” levels late on Friday, according to the government’s Pollutant Standard Index (PSI).

Take precautions

Anwar said he asked Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan to contact the 11-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) secretariat for an urgent meeting between environmental ministers to discuss the air pollution.

The Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said she has ordered full closure of schools in four states and two federal territories and one partial closure in Pahang state in the central region.

Three school districts in western Perak State were also shut down in western Perak State on Friday afternoon.

Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim has also expressed his opinion as schools closed due to the Air Pollutant Index (API) reaching 150 or above.

According to the Malaysian guidelines, API values exceeding 100 are considered to be unhealthy, values exceeding 200 are very unhealthy, values exceeding 300 are hazardous, and values exceeding 500 are considered a local emergency.

Kuala Lumpur on Friday afternoon had an AQI rating of approximately 224, which placed it in the “very unhealthy” rating, making it the “most polluted global major city” for a short time, ahead of Singapore.

The National Environmental Agency (NEA) late Friday announced it would provide masks with haze ratings to the public if the air quality worsens.

The NEA said in a statement that it is possible that air quality levels “may” fall into the very unhealthy category and that mask vending machines would be available at public transport centres and social service offices.

Showers are forecast over Singapore and the surrounding region on Saturday and Sunday, and the prevailing southerly to southwesterly winds could still push smoke haze from the fires in southern Sumatra and Kalimantan to Singapore, NEA said, referring to the Indonesian areas where the fires have been raging.

The city-state is hosting its annual edition of the Formula 1 race this weekend, but race organisers have stated the toxic haze “did not represent a threat.

The air quality levels are monitored by the competent local authorities and the necessary air quality contingency measures are in place should the air quality worsen,” organisers said Wednesday in a statement released to AFP.

Shared concerns

Malaysia’s top leader, who met with his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto on Thursday, said he discussed the issue with him.

He also agreed to take the required measures, Anwar said without elaborating.

The Government Communications Agency in Jakarta said that during the exchanges, the leaders were able to discuss “shared concerns” although it did not specify what those concerns were.

Both countries are optimistic about positive results arising from these talks, which will be in the interests of their citizens and the broader region, it said.

Malaysia has been doing what it can to fight the haze, Anwar said, such as more cloud seeding to induce rain.

The worst pollution conditions in years are being worsened by the flames, which are being fanned by a turbo-charged El Niño weather system, experts said.