KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Many tourists visiting Malaysia recently have shared photos of haze-shrouded Kuala Lumpur on social media, lamenting that the city's famous skyline seems to have "disappeared." Local residents have also complained of throat irritation, allergies and other health problems caused by the haze.
"I don't think the haze has ever been this bad since I was in primary school," said Azariah, a Malaysian girl born in the 1990s.
Haze has continued to plague Malaysia since August. According to real-time rankings of the world's most polluted major cities published by Swiss air quality tracker IQAir, Kuala Lumpur's air quality index (AQI) surged to 244 on the afternoon of Oct. 15, making it the most polluted major city in the world at the time. As of the morning of Oct. 23, the index remained at 172, a level classified as "unhealthy."
The haze has significantly disrupted daily life. Schools in some areas have been forced to close due to deteriorating air quality. The combination of persistent high temperatures and haze has also left some poultry farmers facing slower poultry growth and declining output, forcing them to invest more in ventilation and cooling facilities.
Malaysia's environmental authorities said the current haze episode has multiple causes, including open burning, the El Nino phenomenon and prevailing weather conditions, as well as transboundary haze from ongoing forest fires in various parts of Indonesia.
According to data from Nusantara Atlas, a deforestation monitoring platform, more than 1.9 million hectares of land in Indonesia had been burned by fires as of the end of September this year. Large amounts of smoke generated by forest and peatland fires have been carried across national borders by monsoon winds and atmospheric circulation, drifting into Malaysia and other neighboring countries.
Malaysia's meteorological authorities have forecast that a shift in wind direction next week could gradually ease the haze, while the northeast monsoon, expected to arrive in November, may also help improve air quality. However, persistent hot and dry conditions could keep the risks of forest fires and transboundary haze elevated across the region.
Against the backdrop of global warming, which is contributing to more frequent periods of extreme heat and drought, reducing the risk of forest and land fires, strengthening cross-border pollution monitoring and tackling pollution at its source have become shared challenges for countries in the region.
Malaysia's Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Arthur Joseph Kurup said the transboundary haze problem must be addressed through collective action and closer regional cooperation. He called on ASEAN member states to fulfill their respective responsibilities, strengthen data sharing, law enforcement cooperation and fire prevention efforts, and translate regional commitments into concrete action.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto recently approved the acceptance of firefighting assistance offered by Singapore and Malaysia. Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Malaysia has offered firefighting aircraft, helicopters and personnel to assist Indonesia in combating forest fires. ■
