Hundreds of Malaysia schools have been closed for the past several days, as massive forest fires are taking over Indonesia, and creating vast clouds of smog.
Indonesia’s environment ministers have been under scrutiny, for being unable to find a resolution to the forest fire problems. In their defense, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry has claimed that not all smog is coming from Indonesia, and there are fires in Malaysia and Vietnam as well.
Indonesia’s Minister of Environment Siti Nurbaya even went a step further saying in a statement that Malaysia is not transparent about the situation with the forest fires in the country.
On Friday last week, Malaysia issued an official notice urging Indonesia to undertake emergency measures to battle the fires, as according to the government, more than four hundred Malaysia schools had to be closed, until the smoke clears up.
Malaysia schools, forest fires, and global warming
The current forest fire crises and the closing down of Malaysia schools are both just symptoms of the global environmental crisis. Over the past several months there have been a number of forest fires all over the world. The most prominent ones were those in the Amazon rainforest and Africa.
The ongoing forest fires in Indonesia are posing a severe health hazard for all citizens, which is why Malaysia schools are closed, and the population is advised to take precautions when going out. The smog caused by the fires is carrying small particles, which are harmful to human’s lungs, and can cause severe breathing problems.
The governments of Indonesia and Malaysia are trying to pin the blame on one another. However, they should instead be trying to work together on finding a solution to the crisis.
Closing down of so many schools can significantly hinder the educational process in the country. Many of the students in Malaysia might face severe difficulty in catching up and making up for the lost time, during school closures.
