Smog closes dozens of schools in east Malaysia
The particularly bad smog hovering over east Malaysia's state of Sabah has forced 77 schools to close this week.
The closure will affect 9,365 secondary school and 11,648 primary school students over Monday and Tuesday, local reports said.
The smog has been particularly noticeable in the recent week across Malaysia and Singapore, with many noting a burning smell in the air. Sunday's Air Pollutant Index in the Sabah area was 279, registering as "very unhealthy" on the scale.
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Residents in Sabah told the papers that visibility over the weekend had dropped to an alarming 20 metres, making it difficult to drive at times.
The smog is being created by jungle and orchard fires, which have been raging daily in the region. Sabah, to the east of Singapore, sits on the same land mass as the agricultural fire-prone area of Kalimantan, belonging to Indonesia, which has been responsible for the perennial forest fires which cause choking smog to drift over to neighbours each year.
Experts say the fires have been especially difficult to put out because of the El Nino phenomenon, resulting in drier weather and fiercer fires.
While some of the fires are caused by the dry weather, many have been started through illegal slash burning in palm oil plantations in the region, as farmers clear land each year for the new season.
Last month, Indonesia declared a state of emergency on its western island of Sumatra -- away from Kalimantan -- because of forest and land fires. Authorities have deployed hundreds of military and police personnel as well as water-bombing helicopters to contain the fires there.
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Victoria Ho is Mashable's Asia Editor, based in Singapore. She previously reported on news and tech at The Business Times, TechCrunch and ZDNet. When she isn't writing, she's making music with her band
