Monday June 24, 2013

Haze forces schools in KL, Selangor and Malacca to be shut down

Poor visibility: A Malindo flight arriving at Subang Terminal at 3pm yesterday. The air quality is expected to get worse.

 

PETALING JAYA: Schools in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Malacca have been ordered to be closed today due to the worsening haze.

The order has also been given to schools in Kuantan and Port Dickson, as well as several districts in Johor.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri G. Palanivel said parents in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor were advised to keep their children indoors and ensure the use of face masks outdoors.

“The haze situation has been worsening as at 5pm today, so the Prime Minister has given the order for the schools to be closed as a precautionary measure,” Palanivel said yesterday.

In Malacca, all 313 primary and secondary schools have been order-ed to be closed until further no- tice following reports of critical Air Pollutant Index (API) levels, said Chief Minister Datuk Idris Haron.

“Classes and activities in all schools should stop until further notice by the state Education Department. All government functions outdoors have been cancelled, cut down or deferred,” he said.

Idris said 480 government-run kindergartens had also been told to stop classes until further notice.

“I urge all operators of private kindergartens and pre-schools to follow suit,'' he added.

Idris noted that the visibility in the city had been reduced from 2km on Saturday to less than one and a half kilometre on Sunday.

“The haze is likely to remain bad over the next few days due to the wind blowing in from southeast Sumatra,” he added.

Idris said the state government's one-stop number on the haze could be reached at 06-333 3333.

In Kuantan, Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob ordered all 82 primary and 46 secondary schools to be closed.

He said that although the API readings in Kuantan were 100 at 7am yesterday, the hazy situation had forced the closure of the schools.

Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan ordered that schools in Port Dickson be closed today.

In Johor Baru, more than 420 schools in Muar, Ledang, Segamat, Batu Pahat and Kluang have been ordered to be temporarily closed.

Johor Education Department director Nor A. Ghani said 174,728 students from the districts had been advised to stay indoors and avoid engaging in outdoor activities.

However, Nor said 300 schools in Pontian, Pasir Gudang and Kota Tinggi, which were closed on Friday, had been allowed to open today.

The Star online

Monday  June 24, 2013.