Malaysia Urges ASEAN Action as Haze Worsens, Deepens Ties with Indonesia

As air quality deteriorated in parts of Malaysia, the government has urged ASEAN member states to step up preventive measures and preparedness against transboundary haze, according to a statement from Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Arthur Joseph Kurup. The call came amid unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings in 11 areas across Sarawak and Melaka as of 8am on Aug 22, as reported by The Straits Times.

Deteriorating Air Quality Sparks Regional Call

The Air Pollutant Index Management System data, cited by The Straits Times, showed Serian recording the highest API reading in Malaysia at 190, followed by Kuching (181), Samarahan (177), Sri Aman (174), Sarikei (172), Sibu (160), Bintulu (157), Samalaju (156), Mukah (156), Miri (152), and Bukit Rambai in Melaka (140). The API scale categorizes readings as good (0-50), moderate (51-100), unhealthy (101-200), very unhealthy (201-300), and hazardous (above 300). Data is released hourly from 68 air quality monitoring stations nationwide.

Meanwhile, 57 areas in Malaysia recorded moderate API readings, with none seeing good air quality, according to the same source. The highest moderate readings were in Kapit and Johan Setia in Selangor, both at 97, followed by Shah Alam and ILP Miri at 89, Sungai Petani and Politeknik Kota Kinabalu at 87, Tawau at 84, Minden in Penang and Kuala Selangor at 83, Putrajaya at 82, and Seberang Perai and Seri Manjung at 81.

Kurup attributed the worsening conditions to prolonged dry weather in the southern ASEAN region, which he said had led to an increase in hot spots and haze activity. He noted that the situation could worsen as the El Nino phenomenon was expected to strengthen gradually over the coming months. "Although fires are currently still under control within the respective borders of ASEAN member states, the risk of transboundary haze requires collective preparedness and heightened vigilance at the regional level," he said in a statement on Aug 22, as quoted by The Straits Times.

Bilateral Cooperation with Indonesia

In a separate development, Malaysia and Indonesia are deepening their joint efforts to tackle transboundary haze, pledging closer cooperation on monitoring hotspots, stricter enforcement against open burning, and possible cross-border cloud seeding operations, as reported by The Diplomatic Insight.

Kurup, speaking to reporters after launching the international conference on Tropical Forestry 2026 in Kota Kinabalu on Tuesday, said the collaboration would extend to monitoring hotspots and deploying more enforcement agencies to ensure there is no open burning. Malaysia and Indonesia could also share airspace for cloud seeding operations and share other assets between the two countries, he added.

"Recently we had an ASEAN meeting, I met up with all my counterparts, and we have already agreed to increase our collaboration," Kurup said, according to The Diplomatic Insight.

'Super El Nino' Raises Concerns

Arthur noted that regional cooperation is now more crucial than ever as Malaysia enters a "super El Nino" phase, expected to bring drier conditions, reduced rainfall, and a rise in fire-prone areas. "And that will cause more haze, but we need to acknowledge that haze is a problem that is not just faced by one country. It is a regional issue. What happens in our neighboring countries will also affect us," he said.

Malaysia conveyed its position through an official message to ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn on Aug 21, as reported by The Straits Times. Kurup also welcomed the proactive role of the ASEAN Secretariat as the Interim ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control. Malaysia remained committed to the regional goal of achieving a haze-free ASEAN by 2030 through the effective implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP).

The AATHP, adopted by ASEAN member states in 2002, aims to coordinate prevention and monitoring efforts, but its implementation has often been complicated by the scale of land-clearing activity and enforcement gaps on the ground, according to The Diplomatic Insight. Transboundary haze, largely driven by peatland and forest fires linked to agricultural land-clearing in Indonesia, has affected Malaysia and other parts of Southeast Asia for decades, with severe episodes in 1997, 2015, and 2019 disrupting air quality, public health, aviation, and tourism across the region.

Kurup said Malaysia would continue to raise the issue at the ASEAN level to improve regional coordination, describing it as "a concerted effort needed at the regional level because this is a regional problem." Concern remains that El Nino-driven dry conditions could make 2026 a particularly high-risk fire season for the region, as reported by The Diplomatic Insight.