Smog alert: A thick haze covered New York in June, triggered by wildfires in north American forests
Representative image of haze in Malaysia. AFP

KEY POINTS

  • Seven areas in Malaysia recorded unhealthy air levels Tuesday
  • Indonesia denied smog from forest fires drifted to the neighboring nation
  • Malaysia previously produced rain through cloud seeding as the state of Penang battled with drought

Malaysia will try to make rain by seeding clouds as thick haze continues to shroud parts of the country, which it blames on the forest fires in neighboring Indonesia.

Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar, director general of Malaysia's Department of Environment (DOE), said Monday that air quality was deteriorating in some areas, particularly in the western part of the Malaysian peninsula. Authorities will try to resolve the issue through cloud seeding – a weather modification process that improves the rain production of clouds – if the air pollution index (API) levels remain at 150 or more for more than 24 hours.

They have also decided to "immediately" shut schools when API readings exceed 200, Jaffar said.

Eleven areas reportedly had unhealthy air quality Monday. Three areas – Cheras, Nilai and Seremban – recorded API readings of more than 100 as of 3 p.m. Tuesday local time (3 a.m. EST), according to data from the DOE's Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS).

Earlier in the day, the cities of Petaling Jaya (122) and Shah Alam (119) and the towns of Banting (121) and Port Dickson (111) also saw API levels exceed the 100-mark.

The Department of Environment last week blamed forest fires in the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan in neighboring Indonesia for the worsening air quality in parts of the country. Indonesia denied it, saying there was "no transboundary haze."

Siti Nurbaya Bakar, Indonesia's minister for environment and forestry, said the government has been monitoring the situation and so far, "there is no transboundary haze reaching Malaysia." She said Indonesia continues to work hard to address the forest fires.

Malaysia's health ministry on Tuesday urged the public to take measures to protect themselves from the haze.

"Prolonged haze will have adverse effects on people," it wrote on X.

Malaysia's Meteorological Department has already implemented cloud seeding measures in recent months due to the impacts of El Niño and, not because of haze from forest fires.

In May, the state of Penang conducted cloud seeding operations to raise water levels in its Teluk Bahang dam amid a drought situation and again in June to raise water levels in the Air Itam dam.

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