AI Brief
- Kuala Lumpur was enveloped in haze on Wednesday due to smoke from forest fires in neighbouring Indonesia.
- IQAir recorded an Air Quality Index of 172 at 0600 GMT, categorising it as "unhealthy".
- Indonesia faced criticism as 1.15 million fire hotspots were detected, causing widespread haze and respiratory issues in the region.
KUALA LUMPUR was shrouded in haze on Wednesday (October 21) as smoke from forest fires in neighbouring Indonesia continued to drift towards the Malaysian capital.
Swiss air quality monitoring firm IQAir recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 172 as of 0600 GMT on Wednesday, a level classified as "unhealthy".
Indonesia has come under heavy criticism after months of wildfires that have caused respiratory issues for hundreds of thousands of people and spread thick haze into neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia and East Timor.
There were 1.15 million fire hotspots across Indonesia as of Tuesday (October 20), according to a fire map from the Nusantara Atlas, a deforestation monitor.
