MELAKA, Sept 15 — All schools in Melaka will be closed this Tuesday if the Air Pollutant Index (API) reading in the state reaches over 200 tomorrow, in line with the state’s haze action plan and the state disaster meeting held yesterday, said Melaka State Education Director Datuk Abu Bakar Sahari.
“The haze API reading in Melaka has reached over 200. However, school closure orders on Tuesday would depend on tomorrow’s API,” he said in a statement, here today.
Based on the record, there were 315 primary and secondary schools in the state involving 148,901 pupils and students and the state government would be distributing the face masks to all schools, starting with an initial supply of 100 pieces in each severely affected school or area.
At the same time, schools were advised to reduce outdoor activities and teachers were asked to give attention to pupils or students at risk of haze, especially those with asthma.
Melaka Health and Anti-drug Committee chairman Low Chee Leong also advised all those who wish to organise outdoor activities in Melaka to cancel them as the haze situation in the state was at an extremely unhealthy level for the people in the state.
He noted that the current haze situation could give an adverse effect on an individual’s health especially the elderly and children as well as those with heart and lung diseases.
Meanwhile, the Melaka State Sports Council (MSN) have postponed all form of sports activities including the sports development programme training which is conducted outdoor due to the unhealthy weather condition.
Melaka Communications, Multimedia, Non-governmental Organisation, Youth and Sports Development chairman, Kerk Chee Yee in a statement said the decision was made based on the API reading as at 12 noon was at 222.
He said the postponement of the activities had to be made after taking into account the views from the Melaka Department of Environment (DOE) on the risks to the health of the coaches, athletes and spectators.
In Negri Sembilan, school sessions in haze-affected areas in the state would be closed if the air quality was unhealthy and the API reading exceeded 200, said State Investment, Industrial, Entrepreneurship, Education and Human Capital Committee chairman Dr Mohamad Rafie Ab Malek.
At the moment, Mohamad Rafie said it was unnecessary for the schools to be closed as the API reading in the affected areas had not exceeded 200.
“The decision to close the school can’t be made promptly and it should be looked at its necessity. If the haze exceeded 200, an unhealthy API level which could affect the health of the students, we will close the school immediately.
“For now, we have asked the school management not to hold any outdoor activities, especially in areas with API reading exceeding 150,” he said when met after opening the Post New Malaysia Dakwah Seminar, here today.
According to APIMS, three districts in Negeri Sembilan recorded unhealthy API readings as of 12 noon with Port Dickson recording the highest API readings with 188, while in Nilai and Seremban, the readings were at 109 and 112 respectively. — Bernama
