Kuala Lumpur city skyline is seen shrouded by haze on June 23, 2013.
Smoky haze from forest fires in Indonesia has continued to push air pollution above hazardous level in Malaysia, leading the authorities to declare a state of emergency in the countryâ„¢s south.
On Monday, schools were ordered closed in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, and Selangor State as visibility remained poor, with officials advising parents to keep children indoors.
The haze is blamed on illegal burning of forests in Indonesia’s Sumatra Island, mainly in Riau Province.
Malaysia declared a state of emergency on Sunday in two districts southern State of Johor after air pollution reached a 16-year high level.
The Air Pollutant Index (API) in the Malaysian capital was about the 200 level, or Å“very unhealthy,” on Monday, and 335, or Å“hazardous,” in Port Dickson that lies on the Malacca Strait across from Sumatra.
Malaysiaâ„¢s Environment Minister is expected to meet his Indonesian counterpart on Wednesday to discuss the recent crisis.
Reports say that Indonesia was working to control the smog, however, cloud-seeding could not produce enough rain.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for Indonesia’s National Disaster Agency, said 14 water-bombings were carried out, dropping a total of 7,000 liters of water onto the fires.
The smog has also shrouded neighboring Singapore, where hazardous levels of pollution were also recorded over the weekend.
The countryâ„¢s Pollutant Standards Index reached a record high of 401 on Friday.
SAB/SS
This article originally appeared on: Press TV