PUTRAJAYA, Aug 24 — Malaysia and Indonesia have agreed to ramp up measures against cross-border haze, especially ahead of the Merdeka and Malaysia Day celebrations, said Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup.
He said the deal was made during his phone call with Indonesian Environment Minister Jumhur Hidayat today.
“With the El Niño phenomenon expected to intensify towards October 2026, coinciding with the Southwest Monsoon, both nations are fully committed to stepping up prevention and early suppression measures,” he said in a statement today.
The 69th Merdeka celebration will be held at Dataran Putrajaya on August 31, while the Malaysia Day celebration will be held in Kuching, Sarawak, on September 16.
Arthur also conveyed the government’s appreciation to Indonesia for granting official clearance for cross-airspace cloud seeding, targeting areas along the Malaysia-Indonesia border.
He said the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) and Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) are preparing a cloud-seeding schedule with the Indonesian military.
Arthur also affirmed that Malaysia, as Indonesia’s neighbour and in the spirit of ASEAN solidarity, is prepared to help put out fires should the republic require support.
“Malaysia acknowledges and endorses the expeditious measures undertaken by the Indonesian government, steered by President Prabowo, in ramping up forest and land fire-mitigation strategies.
“These include the mobilisation of 1,500 more Indonesian National Armed Forces personnel, the deployment of high-capacity helicopters for water-bombing missions, and the vigorous execution of weather modification operations in the field,” he elaborated.
Arthur also emphasised that his ministry, through the Environment Department and MetMalaysia, will sustain rigorous surveillance of hotspot activity and ambient air quality, while preserving robust channels of communication with Indonesian authorities to protect the welfare of citizens in both countries.
By 10am today, 10 areas across four states registered Air Pollutant Index (API) readings in the unhealthy range, with Serian in Sarawak posting the highest figure and approaching the threshold for very unhealthy air quality.
