Education Ministry activates emergency operations room to monitor haze

The Education Ministry activated its emergency operations room two days ago in an effort to monitor the haze, especially in areas where there are schools, said Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid.

He said the ministry was working with the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry; Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry and the Meteorological Department for this purpose.

"So far there is still nothing (haze) ... index (Air Pollution Index) is increasing but it is not critical and has not shown any effect yet on the students," he told reporters after opening the Kota Baharu UMNO Division delegates meeting at the Kelantan UMNO building here today.

Also present was Kota Baharu UMNO Division chief Tan Sri Mohamad Fatmi Che Salleh.

Yesterday, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar was reported as saying he would inform Indonesia that the land and forest fires in central Sumatera had caused transboundary haze in several areas in Malaysia.

Last Tuesday, the haze returned to several areas in the Klang Valley, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan following an increased number of hotspots in Indonesia.

Asked about school closure should the haze worsen, Mahdzir said it would depend on the standard operating procedures issued by the ministry in respect of a disaster.

"There are rules and procedures on closure of schools in the event of haze. The haze is still not serious and it is too early to act," he said.

Meanwhile, in his speech, Mahdzir said that after nearly 60 years of achieving independence, Malaysians had succeeded in various fields especially in education.

The achievement was due to racial unity and the people's loyalty towards the leaders and their not getting involved in activities to create chaos in the country, he added.