Emergency status declared in some areas as haze worsens in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR (Xinhua) - The recent haze that shrouds part of Malaysia deteriorates throughout the weekend, forcing the government to declare emergency status in some areas.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister G. Palanivel said Prime Minister Najib Razak had agreed to declare emergency status in Muar and Ledang areas with immediate effect on Sunday.

The government urged people to stay indoors.

Accoding to the air pollutant index released by the Deparment of Environment, the industrial town of Muar in the southern Johor state reached a staggering reading of 746 early Sunday morning.

An air pollutant index of 301 and above would be categorized as "hazardous".

The historical city of Malacca also recorded a "hazardous" reading of more than 400 by noon.

In the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, the sky was shrouded by the haze while a smell of burn filled the air.

The haze, an annual phenomenon largely attributed to the smoke from forest fires in Sumatra, Indonesia brought in by the southwestern monsoon winds, is especially heavy this year, triggering dangerous air pollutant readings in Singapore and part of Malaysia.

The Malaysian government has called for regional cooperation against the hazardous weather.