Kalbana Perimbanayagam
KUALA LUMPUR: The government will review school closure guidelines and preparations to ensure learning continues if schools are forced to close for several days due to the ongoing haze.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said this in a social media post after chairing a National Disaster Management Council meeting to discuss the haze and its impact on public health, particularly among schoolchildren.
He said children's health must remain the priority while ensuring their education was not disrupted.
Since August, the country has experienced haze caused by forest and peatland fires in Indonesia, leading to school closures and a rise in respiratory illnesses. The haze has also disrupted flights.
Anwar said the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA), Department of Environment and Malaysian Meteorological Department would work with the Education Ministry and Health Ministry to refine proposals to improve the National Haze Action Plan.
He said funding requirements for cloud seeding operations to mitigate the haze would be met.
"The operations were being carried out almost daily, subject to suitable cloud conditions," he said.
The meeting also discussed preparations for the Northeast Monsoon, which is expected to bring heavy rain and increase flood risks.
It was also briefed on the threat of a potentially severe Super El Niño next year, which could bring extreme hot and dry conditions.
El Niño is set to intensify to exceptional levels in the coming months and persist into early 2027, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recently warned, raising the prospect of worsening droughts, floods and extreme heat across the globe.
Anwar stressed the need to strengthen the preparedness of frontline agencies, with NADMA playing a central role in coordinating policies and operations across agencies through the Central Disaster Operations Control Centre.
He said preventive measures, preparedness, response and recovery efforts must be carried out swiftly and effectively.
Anwar also called on the Federal and state governments, the private sector, volunteers and communities to work together to strengthen disaster preparedness, protect lives and ensure assistance reached those in need.
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