KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 – All schools in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor may continue to remain closed tomorrow as the haze condition is worsening in the Klang Valley, said Natural Resource and Environment Minister Datuk Seri G. Palanivel.
However, he said the schools must receive the directive from the Education Ministry to this effect.
“I’ll discuss and ask about it (possible closure) with the Second Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh,” he told reporters after the swearing-in ceremony of members of parliament for the 13th Parliament at the Dewan Rakyat here today.
The Department of Environment (DOE) reported that the air quality in six other areas in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur that had monitoring devices had worsened to ‘unhealthy’ levels, with readings of between 128 and 198, as at 11 am today.
On Indonesia’s claim that eight Malaysian-owned plantations in the republic were suspected of contributing to the haze, Palanivel argued that it was unclear as to which companies were involved, and that some were not Malaysian.
“Since there is no evidence, I have to discuss (the matter) with my Indonesian counterpart. They (Indonesia) are saying that so many Malaysian companies are involved. I would not know if Indonesian companies are involved too,” the minister said.
He said Malaysia needed to talk to Indonesia and Singapore, also badly affected by the haze, before taking any action against the culprits or undertaking measures to mitigate the haze like cloud seeding.
Such matters, he said, would involve a collective regional response. Palanivel is slated to meet with representatives from Malaysian companies based in Jakarta on Wednesday or Thursday.
Meanwhile, Deputy Education Minister P. Kamalanathan suggested that school administrators immediately referred to the State Education Department if there were still any doubt on the haze that could result in the schools being closed.
Kamalanathan also supported the suggestion from Palanivel that schools in the Klang Valley remained closed if the haze was still within the danger level.
“I call on all school administrators to adhere to the circulation issued on the continued closure of the schools and the closure will depend on the air quality in the affected areas,” he told Bernama.
– BERNAMA
