Malaysia shuts schools as haze from Indonesian fires chokes Southeast Asia

Kuala Lumpur’s Air Pollutant Index says air quality at unhealthy levels amid smog from forest fires.Published On 9 Oct 20269 Oct 2026Malaysia has closed schools in its capital and several states as smoke from Indonesian forest fires pushes air pollution to unhealthy levels.Schools were ordered to close on Friday across Kuala Lumpur, the administrative capital Putrajaya and in the states of Johor, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang and Selangor.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Malaysia declares emergency in Sarawak as haze from Indonesia worsenslist 2 of 3El Nino: A phenomenon supercharged by climate changelist 3 of 3Powerful El Nino could cause more than 450,000 deaths, scientists sayend of listThe move, which affected roughly two million students, came as Kuala Lumpur recorded an Air Pollutant Index (API) reading of about 170. The API is a government-run measure of air quality.Singapore, at the southern end of the Malay Peninsula, saw its air quality fall into the “very unhealthy” range, according to IQAir.“The haze issue is indeed at a worrying level,” said Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. He added that he had spoken to Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto, wh...