Schools to close when API hits 200

PETALING JAYA: Schools in Selangor are reminded to close immediately once the Air Pollutant Index (API) goes over 200.

In a statement, the Selangor Education Department said school authorities must act as per the Education Ministry circular KPM 1/2019.According to the circular, once the API is more than 200, all classes must be stopped immediately, with school heads relaying the information to the district Education office.

If the API is more than 100, all activities outside the classrooms involving students must be halted.

School heads are required to keep track of the API levels as posted on the Environment Department website, and schools can only be reopened when the API drops below 200.

As at 6am yesterday, the state Education department received reports that 538 schools in Petaling Perdana, Klang, Kuala Selangor, Gombak, Hulu Langat, Sepang, Sabak Bernam, Kuala Langat and Petaling Utama districts were closed as the API reading was more than 200, affecting 584,595 students.

The Kuala Lumpur education department said the API was over 200 at the Batu Muda station as at 11am yesterday.

As a result, 57 schools in the Sentul district involving 33,886 students, and 66 schools including two vocational colleges in the Keramat district with a combined total of 48,527 students, were closed.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Meteorological Department director-general Jailan Simon said cloud seeding operations scheduled by the Royal Malaysian Air Force yesterday had to be cancelled as the atmospheric conditions were unfavourable.

“At this moment, the south-westerly winds are still blowing towards Malaysia, and we are hoping that the wind direction will change from inland towards the Straits of Malacca by Monday. If this happens, the skies may clear up, ” he added.

The Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) had forecast hazy conditions in the region would persist as hotspots in Sumatra and Kalimantan were expected to continue under prevailing conditions.

ASMC said in Sumatra, persistent hotspots emitting moderate to dense smoke continued to be detected in the Riau, Jambi and South Sumatra provinces.