According to the Malaysian Ministry of Natural Resources,Environment and Climate Change’s Environment Department, efforts to clear the air with rainby seeding clouds, which involves shooting salt flares into clouds to triggerrainfall, and other measures to cope with the pollution would come into effectwhen the air pollution index (API) reached 150 for more than 24 hours.
Schools and kindergartens must stop all outdoor activitieswhen the index reaches 100, and close when it hits 200.
Almost every dry season, smoke from fires to clear land forpalm oil and pulp and paper plantations in Indonesia clouds the skies over muchof the region, bringing risks to public health and worrying tourist operatorsand airlines.
Malaysia's air quality was deteriorating, particularly in the western part ofPeninsular Malaysia, with 11 areas recording unhealthy API readings, thedepartment's director general, Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar, said in a statementon October 2.
The Singaporean-based ASEAN Specialised MeteorologicalCentre (ASMC), which monitors the haze situation affecting Southeast Asia, havedetected nearly 250 "hotspots" with the potential for wildfires on Indonesia'sSumatra island and in its part of Borneo island./.