Malaysia Haze Disrupted Routines and Livelihoods
Worsening transboundary haze disrupted daily routines across Malaysia, restricting outdoor family activities and threatening the livelihoods of traders and delivery workers.
Families Restrict Outdoor Routines As Air Quality Drops
To shield her children from the haze, 33-year-old private-sector employee Nadiah Syahirah Abdul Hamid mentioned that her household was forced to cut back on outdoor pursuits like park visits and sports. She noted that uncertainty over school operations added to the burden on working parents who must juggle children’s safety, work commitments, and childcare arrangements. Families without flexible working arrangements or the means to pay for alternative childcare face even greater difficulties, she added.
The air quality deterioration forced the postponement of National Sports Day 2026 celebrations scheduled for Bukit Jalil, with the Youth and Sports Ministry announcing that a new date would be subject to air quality conditions.
Traders And Delivery Riders Face Income Pressures
At a drinks stall in Desa Petaling, 22-year-old Adam Irfan Luqman noted fewer customers since the haze began. He said that while his throat feels dry and his eyes are irritated from spending long hours outdoors, he must continue operating as usual because the stall is his daily source of income.
P-hailing rider Raheem Azmi, 29, described a similar dilemma between protecting his health and earning a living. He stated that while the haze causes eye irritation and a dry throat, he must make deliveries as usual. If conditions worsen, he may reduce his working hours, though lower working hours directly result in a drop in income.
Haze Costs May Reach RM1.5 Billion Monthly
Yeah warned that the actual economic toll could balloon to between RM600 million and RM1.5 billion a month, identifying tourism, aviation, and agriculture as the most vulnerable sectors.
Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia public health medicine specialist Dr Mohd Hafiz Jaafar noted that direct medical expenses reflect only a fraction of the crisis, pointing out that national costs from respiratory illness rose from around RM21 million in the 1997 haze to RM410 million in 2013. Hafiz argued that regional prevention is far more cost-effective than absorbing recurrent financial losses.
Earlier in the month, on October 7, IQAir’s live World Air Quality ranking placed Kuala Lumpur at the top of the list as the world’s most polluted city with an Air Quality Index reading of 211. By October 17, 37 areas recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index readings, with Seremban recording the country’s highest reading at 186, followed by Nilai at 183 and Port Dickson at 174.
Employers Urged To Adjust Work Arrangements
The Malaysian Employers Federation urged employers to take proactive measures to protect employees’ safety, health, and welfare as haze conditions worsen. MEF senior adviser for government, media, and international engagement Datuk Dr Syed Hussain Syed Husman stated that employers have a statutory duty under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 to ensure the safety, health, and welfare of employees at work. Syed Hussain urged employers to monitor the air pollutant index, provide certified N95 respirators where exposure cannot be avoided, and consider temporary reassignment to indoor duties or flexible working arrangements.
Anwar Contacts Indonesian President over Transboundary Haze
To address the worrying severity of transboundary haze impacting Malaysia and the wider area, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim revealed that he reached out directly to Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. Relevant ministries are also in contact with their regional counterparts to address the problem.
The crisis has reignited calls from civil society representatives, including Greenpeace Malaysia, for stronger action and accountability, revisiting a 2019 proposal to introduce legislation targeting Malaysian companies operating abroad that contribute to haze, a proposal that was subsequently abandoned in 2020 in favor of Asean cooperation.
With haze conditions expected to continue, questions remain regarding whether regional diplomatic efforts will secure long-term prevention agreements and who will ultimately be held accountable for recurring transboundary environmental damage.