KUALA LUMPUR, April 23 ― Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said schools in the country will be closed if the haze worsens.
According to The Star Online, Mahdzir said schools will be closed if the Air Pollutant Index (API) exceeds 200.
He also mentioned that the ministry had set up an operations room after the haze situation worsened earlier this week.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar had said in a statement today that the haze in the Kalng Vallery was chiefly due to peat fires in Selangor and Pahang.
In Miri, the haze has been attributed to forest fires in Bekenu and Marudi.
Port Klang and Cheras recorded unhealthy API readings of 114 and 101 respectively, with Banting (100), Shah Alam (96), Petaling Jaya (93) Batu Muda (97) and Putrajaya (88) showing moderate readings, as of noon today.
An API of between 0 and 50 is considered good, 51 to 100 (moderate), 101 to 200 (unhealthy), 201 to 300 (very unhealthy), 301 and above (hazardous).
