Malaysia shuts schools amid toxic haze from Indonesian fires

Malaysian authorities closed schools in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, and other parts of the country on Friday due to haze caused by forest fires in nearby Indonesia.

"I have instructed all state education departments and district education offices to continue monitoring the haze situation and take immediate action if conditions require it," Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said in a statement.

The minister announced which schools would be fully closed and which would continue operating partially in five states and two federal territories.

"Going forward, we will ensure that any decision to close schools is communicated in advance so that parents have enough time to prepare," Fadhlina added.

Deteriorating air quality

Air quality measurements in Kuala Lumpur remain at "unhealthy" levels, with Swiss air-quality monitor IQAir ranking the Malaysian capital among the most polluted cities in the world.

Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim weighed in on the issue on Thursday, saying schools should be closed whenever air-quality readings reach 150 or higher on the Air Pollutant Index (API).

API readings above 200 are considered very unhealthy, while levels above 300 are deemed hazardous. Readings exceeding 500 constitute the threshold for declaring a local emergency.

Kuala Lumpur recorded an API reading of 170 on Friday.

The city lies about 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) from Indonesia, where a wave of forest fires has affected millions of people since August. According to IQAir, Kuala Lumpur is currently the world's second most polluted city, behind only neighboring Singapore.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Thursday that Indonesian President Prabowo ​Subianto had ⁠agreed to take measures to tackle the haze, but did not provide more details.

Communities fight back against fires in Indonesian Borneo

Edited by: Natalie Muller

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