JOHOR BARU: Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi has called for an emergency Asean meeting and stronger regional cooperation to tackle transboundary haze, as the state recorded its 53rd day of haze since Aug 25.
He said regional cooperation must be strengthened in fire prevention, hotspot monitoring and firefighting efforts to prevent further haze episodes.
The issue was raised at a state-level disaster coordination meeting, where Onn Hafiz warned that the prolonged haze posed a serious threat to public health and daily life.
He said data from the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre showed 453 hotspots in Indonesia's Kalimantan and 153 in Sumatra, raising concerns over fires and smoke spreading across borders.
Pasir Gudang recorded an Air Pollutant Index (API) reading of 198, approaching the very unhealthy threshold of 201.
Larkin recorded an API reading of 196, followed by Pengerang (180), Kota Tinggi (171), Batu Pahat (170), Kluang (164), Tangkak (159) and Segamat (155).
All eight monitoring stations in Johor recorded unhealthy air quality, with PM2.5 identified as the dominant pollutant.
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