Climate
Haze from Indonesian forest fires envelops Malaysia and Singapore, shutting schools
October 9, 2026 at 08:29 AM · Updated 7d ago
3 reports · 1 in Arabic, 2 in English · over 7 hours
AJAl Jazeera English
Malaysia shuts schools as haze from Indonesian fires chokes Southeast Asia
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AJAl Jazeera Arabic
حرائق إندونيسيا تشل التعليم في ماليزيا وتدفع 5 ولايات لإغلاق مدارسها
(opens the publisher’s site)
CNCNN
One of the world’s wealthiest cities is enduring the world’s most polluted air. Here’s why
(opens the publisher’s site)Indonesian forest fires have driven air pollution in Malaysia and Singapore to harmful levels, prompting Malaysia to close schools across several states.
- Malaysia has closed 1,198 schools with more than 617,000 students across several states, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.
- Singapore's air quality index has reached 216, the "very unhealthy" range, ranking it the world's most polluted city per IQAir.
- Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto agreed to take necessary steps to combat the haze.
- Singapore Grand Prix organizers said there are no plans to modify entertainment activities at this weekend's Formula One race.
- The haze has expanded to affect about two million students, including in Johor, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, and Selangor.
- Kuala Lumpur is stepping up cloud seeding operations in response to the worsening haze pollution.
- Indonesia's worst fire season in over a decade has scorched at least 200,000 hectares and caused over 170,000 respiratory infections.