KUALA LUMPUR — Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has agreed to take the necessary measures to address the haze situation affecting Malaysia, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.
Anwar said he raised the issue directly with Prabowo during a telephone conversation earlier today, Bernama reported.
“The haze situation is indeed worrying. I personally contacted President Prabowo, and he agreed to take the necessary steps,” he told reporters after inspecting preparations for the tabling of Budget 2027 at the Finance Ministry here.
He said Malaysia had, over the past several weeks, conveyed its willingness to provide any form of assistance to Indonesia, amid growing public concern over the health impact of the haze.
"We have, for the past several weeks, expressed our readiness to provide any form of cooperation because the haze is worrying and I know it is causing concern over the health of our people.
“Various measures have been taken to reduce its impact. For example, we have been increasing cloud seeding operations almost daily, as well as rainfall operations by the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) and several related agencies. However, the situation remains worrying,” he said.
Anwar said he had instructed Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup to engage their Indonesian counterparts to strengthen efforts to tackle the haze.
He also directed Mohamad to contact the ASEAN Secretariat to seek coordination for a meeting of environment ministers.
As of 9 am today, 38 areas nationwide recorded Air Pollutant Index (API) readings in the unhealthy range, with Segamat, Johor recording the highest reading at 187.
According to the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), the return of transboundary haze was linked to 238 hotspots detected in Kalimantan and Sumatra, Indonesia, as well as four in Sabah and Sarawak.
The ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) also reported moderate to dense transboundary haze over southern and central Sumatra, Singapore and southern parts of Peninsular Malaysia. — October 8, 2026
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