Malaysian Prime Minister Calls Prabowo Over Haze Like Kuala Lumpur Chokes

(Bloomberg) — Malaysia’s prime minister contacted Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto about efforts to deal with thick smog that has choked Kuala Lumpur and other parts of the country as weeks of devastating fires have engulfed swathes of the neighboring archipelago.

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

Johor, the state at the tip of Peninsular Malaysia, closed schools by the end of the week, affecting about 617,000 students, according to the state’s education department.

“The situation in the haze is really worrying,” Anwar Ibrahim told reporters, according to state news agency Bernama. He said Prabowo had “agreed to take the necessary steps”, without giving details.

Indonesia’s government communications agency referred questions to the foreign ministry, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Parts of Southeast Asia have been blanketed in thick fumes for more than a month as Indonesia endures one of its worst forest fire seasons in years. The fires are linked to the long-term use of agricultural practices, which are exacerbated by a strong El Niño that has brought dry conditions to the region.

Malaysia is seeking urgent talks with Indonesia to send a team to help put out the fires. Anwar said the government was also trying to hold a meeting of regional environment ministers, although it had already taken steps to reduce the impact domestically, including increasing cloud deployment.

Johor Onn Chief Minister Hafiz Ghazi, who heads one of the worst-affected regions, also called for an emergency meeting of regional leaders, saying the Association of Southeast Asian Nations “must play a more active role and hold an emergency meeting to deal with this crisis together,” he wrote in a Facebook post.

At least five flights were grounded at Senai International Airport in Johor early Thursday as haze reduced visibility below aviation safety requirements, Malay Mail reported. Several planes 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 Charter Marathon canceled the children’s race due to health concerns, while continuing with other categories, including the full and half marathons.

Greenpeace Malaysia and several civil society groups staged a demonstration on Wednesday calling for legislation to give authorities clearer powers to investigate, gather evidence and take enforcement action against companies linked to cross-border environmental damage.

The green group said stronger domestic laws “cannot single-handedly address every regional problem” and would need to be complemented by mechanisms and bilateral channels from Asean, which includes Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines, to gather evidence on the fires.

“Public anger over the haze must produce a two-fold response: holding those responsible accountable while recognizing and supporting those doing their best to protect threatened forests and farmland,” said Joseph D’Cruz, CEO of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil.

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

(Update with details from the Malaysian Prime Minister from the first paragraph.)

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