The head of Malaysia’s second-most populous state called for an emergency meeting of regional leaders to tackle haze from Indonesia’s wildfires, as Kuala Lumpur choked under the world’s worst air pollution and flights were disrupted in the country’s south.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations “needs to play a more active role and hold an emergency meeting to address this crisis collectively,” Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi wrote in a Facebook post late Wednesday. The state leader said he had raised the matter with Indonesia’s consul general, without saying when that meeting took place.
Johor, which sits on the Malay Peninsula south of the nation’s capital, closed schools through the end of the week because of the haze, affecting about 617,000 students, according to the state education ministry. Air quality in Kuala Lumpur was in the “ very unhealthy ” range as of Thursday afternoon, data from IQAir showed. Singapore was also among the 10 most polluted cities.
Indonesia’s Government Communication Agency and Foreign Ministry didn’t immediately comment when contacted Thursday.
Parts of Southeast Asia have been blanketed in choking haze in recent weeks as Indonesia battles one of its worst wildfire seasons in years. The blazes have stemmed from the long-running use of slash-and-burn farming practices, exacerbated by a powerful El Niño that has brought dry conditions to the region.
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, citing Transport Minister Anthony Loke. Several aircraft were diverted to Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Singapore’s Changi Airport, while other departures were delayed at their points of origin.
Malaysia is seeking expedited talks with Indonesia to send a team to help extinguish the fires, Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said, according to Bernama. 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.
Read More: Singapore Smog Worst in World as Haze Shuts Malaysia Schools
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,” Joseph D’Cruz, the chief executive officer of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil told Bloomberg.