Malaysia PM Calls Prabowo Over Haze as Kuala Lumpur Chokes

(Bloomberg) -- Malaysia’s prime minister has contacted Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto about efforts to tackle the thick smog that has choked Kuala Lumpur and other parts of the country as weeks of devastating wildfires consume swathes of the neighboring archipelago.

Air quality in the capital was in the “very unhealthy” range as of Thursday afternoon, according to data from IQAir, and ranked as the most polluted city in the world. Menara Merdeka Maybank, the world’s second-tallest building, and the iconic Petronas Twin Towers were faint silhouettes, barely visible behind the haze.

Johor, a state at the tip of Malaysian peninsula, closed schools through the end of the week, affecting about 617,000 students, according to the state education ministry. 

“The haze situation is indeed worrying,” Anwar Ibrahim told reporters, according to state-owned news agency Bernama. He said Prabowo had “agreed to take the necessary steps,” without providing detail. 

Indonesia’s Government Communication Agency referred queries to the foreign ministry, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Parts of Southeast Asia have been blanketed in thick fumes for over a month as Indonesia endures one of its worst wildfire seasons in years. The blazes are linked to the long-running use of slash-and-burn farming practices, exacerbated by a powerful El Niño that has brought dry conditions to the region.

Malaysia is seeking expedited talks with Indonesia to send a team to help extinguish the fires. Anwar said the government was also seeking to arrange a meeting of regional environment ministers, though it had already taken steps to reduce the impact at home, including increasing cloud seeding.

Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi, at the helm of one of the most affected regions, has also called for an emergency meeting of regional leaders, saying the Association of Southeast Asian Nations “needs to play a more active role and hold an emergency meeting to address this crisis collectively,” he wrote in a Facebook post.

At least five flights were disrupted at Senai International Airport in Johor early Thursday as haze reduced visibility below aviation safety requirements, the Malay Mail reported. Several aircraft were diverted to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore while other departures were delayed at their points of origin.

Last week, organizers of the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon canceled a kids’ race over health concerns while pressing on with other categories, including the full and half marathons.

Greenpeace Malaysia and several civil-society groups held a demonstration Wednesday calling for legislation that would give authorities clearer powers to investigate, obtain evidence and take enforcement action against companies linked to transboundary environmental damage.

The green group said stronger domestic laws “cannot address every regional challenge on its own” and would need to be complemented by mechanisms and bilateral channels from Asean, which includes Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines, to obtain evidence about fires.

“Public anger on haze needs to bring about a twofold response: holding to account those who are culpable while recognizing and supporting those who are doing their utmost to protect the forests and farmlands at risk,” said Joseph D’Cruz, the chief executive officer of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. 

--With assistance from Ben Otto, Rieka Rahadiana, Megan Durisin, Ramsey Al-Rikabi and Netty Ismail.

(Updates with details from Malaysia’s prime minister from first paragraph.)