October 9: Schools across much of Peninsular Malaysia were closed on Friday as haze from fires in Indonesia pushed air quality to unhealthy levels. At 8:30 am, 38 of the 68 stations run by Malaysia’s Department of Environment recorded an unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) reading, seven were above 180 and none was rated “good”, Malay Mail reported. In Singapore, the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) entered the unhealthy range in all five regions on Thursday. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he had phoned Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who “agreed to take the necessary steps”, Bernama reported.
Key highlights
- Schools in Selangor, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan were closed on Friday, along with schools in Putrajaya and the Rompin district of Pahang, according to Malay Mail. Johor’s schools had been closed for two days from Thursday by decree of the state’s Regent.
- The highest reading on Friday morning was 186 in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malay Mail reported. On Thursday the peak was 187 in Segamat, Johor, according to Bernama.
- Malaysia’s Meteorological Department detected 238 hotspots in Kalimantan and Sumatra and four in Sabah and Sarawak, Bernama said.
- Anwar called the situation worrying, said cloud seeding had been increased almost daily, and told the foreign minister to seek a meeting of ASEAN environment ministers through the ASEAN Secretariat, Bernama reported.
- The Singapore Grand Prix runs from October 9 to 11. A Formula 1 spokesperson said: “There is absolutely no risk to the event,” according to Malay Mail.
The readings
| Station | State | API |
|---|---|---|
| Seremban | Negeri Sembilan | 186 |
| Bandaraya Melaka | Melaka | 184 |
| Nilai | Negeri Sembilan | 183 |
| Bukit Rambai | Melaka | 183 |
| Segamat | Johor | 183 |
| Johan Setia | Selangor | 182 |
| Tangkak | Johor | 181 |
| Pasir Gudang | Johor | 179 |
| Shah Alam | Selangor | 178 |
| Alor Gajah | Melaka | 177 |
| Region | 24-hour PSI |
|---|---|
| West | 159 |
| Central | 142 |
| East | 122 |
| North | 112 |
| South | 111 |
By our count of the Malaysian figures, 56% of stations (38 of 68) were in the unhealthy band on Friday morning, and the remaining 44% were “moderate”. Singapore’s West region was the worst of the five, at 159.
The rules for closing schools
| Condition | What happens | Source |
|---|---|---|
| API above 180 in an area | Schools move immediately to home-based learning (PdPR) | Education Ministry, via Malay Mail |
| API above 150 for three consecutive days in a district | Schools close from Monday, October 12 | Education Ministry, via Malay Mail |
| State decision | Johor closed all schools for two days from October 8 by the Regent’s decree | Malay Mail |
Education Director-General Mohd Azam Ahmad said the early closures were meant to protect students and teachers from harmful particles, after the King expressed concern, Malay Mail reported. In Singapore, the National Environment Agency advises healthy people to cut down prolonged or strenuous outdoor activity when the 24-hour PSI is unhealthy, and children, pregnant women and people with heart or lung conditions to minimise or avoid it.
Where the smoke comes from
Malaysia’s Department of Environment blamed prolonged dry weather and hundreds of fire hotspots in Sumatra and Kalimantan, Malay Mail reported. Singapore’s agency said smoke plumes from southern Sumatra and haze from Kalimantan were being carried towards the island by south-easterly to southerly winds. The Meteorological Service Singapore expects the dry season to end in late October or early November, later than in the previous two years.
How the week unfolded
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| September 4 | Singapore’s NEA begins daily haze advisories | Malay Mail |
| October 7 | NEA forecasts the PSI will stay unhealthy, the first such forecast since the advisories began; Johor orders schools shut for two days | Malay Mail |
| October 8 | All five Singapore regions unhealthy; Anwar calls Prabowo; Malaysia sets the API 180 rule for schools | Malay Mail, Bernama |
| October 9 | Schools shut in Selangor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Putrajaya and Rompin; Singapore Grand Prix weekend begins | Malay Mail |
| October 12 | Three-day 150 rule for school closures takes effect | Malay Mail |
| Late October to early November | Expected end of the dry season | Meteorological Service Singapore, via Malay Mail |
What it means
Haze from land and forest fires in Indonesia has returned to the region in a dry year, and this time it has reached the point of shutting schools across several Malaysian states. The diplomatic pattern is familiar: Malaysia asks, Indonesia promises action, and ASEAN is asked to coordinate. What matters for families is the next few weeks. If the dry season runs into November, as Singapore’s forecasters expect, the haze could return in waves until the rains put out the fires. For the region’s economies the costs include lost school days and outdoor work put on hold; for Indonesia, it is a diplomatic test with its neighbours.
What to watch
- Whether an ASEAN environment ministers’ meeting is called, and what Indonesia announces on firefighting.
- Which Malaysian districts cross the 150-for-three-days line before Monday’s closures.
- Singapore’s PSI over the Grand Prix weekend.
- Hotspot counts in Sumatra and Kalimantan in the daily ASEAN and MetMalaysia reports.
Sources
- Malay Mail: No haze respite: Seven spots exceed API of 180, no location in Malaysia with ‘Good’ air quality
- Malay Mail: Haze crisis worsens as unhealthy API readings force sweeping school closures in Putrajaya, Selangor and Rompin
- Malay Mail: Haze: All Johor schools to close for two days by Regent’s decree
- Malay Mail: Singapore haze pushes air quality into unhealthy range across island
- Bernama: Haze: Prabowo agrees to take necessary steps to address situation, says Anwar
The International Desk covers world and Asian affairs, diplomacy and conflict, with a focus on what they mean for India. Stories are checked against at least two credible sources before publication.
