Forest Fire: Malaysia to Shut Down Schools, 'Accuses' Indonesia Over Transboundary Haze

A transboundary haze coming from a forest fire in Indonesia has forced Malaysia to shut down schools and start conducting cloud seeding to trigger rainfall and improve air quality.

According to reports, Malaysia has "accused" Indonesia of the haze that has apparently spread into its country, resulting in the deterioration of its air. In particular, the Malaysian government attributed the haze to the fires in the Indonesian island of Sumatra and some parts of Borneo.

Transboundary Haze

The transboundary haze has caused air pollution in Malaysia, which last week blamed the forest fires in its neighboring country. The plan to close schools and start seeding clouds is an effort to avoid a looming public health threat as the haze from the Indonesian forest fire may cause respiratory health problems in Malaysia, according to local authorities.

As of Wednesday morning, October 4, there are 68 locations or 'stations' across Malaysia with moderate air quality and one unhealthy air quality in Sri Aman, Sarawak, according to the Air Pollutant Index Management System on the website of Malaysia's Department of Environment.

According to the department's Director General, Wan Abdul Latiff Wann Jaffar, Malaysian air quality was observed to be deteriorating particularly in the west coast of the country, during a reported statement on Monday, October 2.

The director general warns that low-tier school levels like kindergartens and nurseries should stop outdoor activities and monitor air quality readings.

Indonesia Forest Fire

Indonesia, according to a report on Monday, denied that the haze from their forest fires has drifted to Malaysia. This comes as Indonesian authorities are battling a large forest fire in the southern Sumatra province, which covered the region with haze clouds. These plumes of haze have also spread in the nearby provinces and cities in the region, resulting in the degradation of air quality, as mentioned earlier.

Earlier this year, a similar scenario occurred in North America, where wildfires in Canada has produced significant amount of smoke that spread into different parts of the United States, especially in the Northeast region. This has also resulted in a poor air quality index in some US states, including New York, due to the Canadian wildfire smoke.

Air Quality Hazards

Although haze and smoke are often linked with wildfires like forest fires and bushfires, and deemed as air quality hazards, they are sometimes confused with other air phenomena like mist and fog.

According to the United Kingdom's Met Office, haze is the suspension of "extremely small, dry particles" in the air, which are not water droplets at all. Unlike fog and mist, haze particles are invisible to one's naked eye but give the air an "opalescent" appearance.

Meanwhile, the UK weather agency defines fog as the obscurity in the surface layers of Earth's atmosphere, caused by the suspension of water droplets in the air. Furthermore, the agency classified mist as almost a similar phenomenon with fog but with water droplets at a lower density.