KUALA LUMPUR: Haze Emergency has been declared indefinitely for the entire Kuala Selangor and Port Klang areas from yesterday, the Government announced.
All workplaces are to remain closed except for essential services, food retailers and supermarkets.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the emergency status was declared only for the two areas where the Air Pollutant Index breached the 500 mark.
Abdullah declared the emergency at 5pm, two hours after the API showed a reading of 500 in the two areas.
Abdullah said he had given the National Security Council the authority to declare emergency in other areas whenever the API level hits 500.
“They don’t have to wait for me to make the announcement,” he said.
He also said he had telephoned Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to offer Malaysia’s help to contain the fires in Indonesia.
“It is up to them whether they want to accept our invitation. I have offered cloud seeding and our Smart team to help put out the fires.”
He said Susilo was unable to say how long it would take for Indonesia to contain the fire but the Indonesian president admitted that the area involved was very big.
“I hope people from other faiths can also hold special prayers for more rain. This has been my approach in facing situations like this. We ask for God’s intervention.”
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