The Air Pollutant Index has exceeded the emergency level of 500 in Port Klang and Kuala Selangor as at 11am this morning.

According to the index released by the Department of Environment, the pollutant figure in Port Klang stood at 529 and in Kuala Selangor at 531.

These figures automatically mean that emergency will be declared in these two places and all pertinent decisions to counter the haze will be taken over by the National Security Council (NSC).

This is in accordance with the haze action plan as announced by the government yesterday.

The NSC can order schools to be closed and determine a shorter working hour for people in these places.

According to the DoE advisory, once the API breaches the 500 figure - which is dangerous to health - the general population is advised to follow the orders of the NSC and follow announcements through the mass media.

According to AFP , quoting a National Security Council official, although only the two west coast locations had exceeded 500, the emergency measures would extend to the whole of the Klang valley in which the capital Kuala Lumpur sits.

They will include closing schools, advising citizens to stay indoors or wear masks outside, and beginning rain-seeding in an effort to wash away the dust and smoke in the air.

The index also revealed that Putrajaya (364), Kuala Lumpur (321), Shah Alam (371) and Petaling Jaya (349) have all hit the hazardous level of above 300.

However in a later API reading released by DoE at 5pm, the pollutant level in Port Klang had come down to 486 while in Kuala Selangor, the reading reduced to 527. Similarly the reading for Kuala Lumpur was down to 295 and 354 in Putrajaya.

In these areas, elderly persons with existing hearts or lung disease should stay indoors while the rest of the population must avoid vigorous outdoor activity.

A satellite image taken yesterday at 8.12am shows thick smog enveloping parts of Sumatra, Malacca Strait and the Klang Valley. The smog is the result of over 500 hotspots in Sumatra where forest fires are raging.

Put together, the hotspots are estimated to be about the size of Singapore, or more than 300 sq km.

Port Klang stops work

Due to hazardous haze situation, the Port Klang Authority suspended all activity in its Westport and Northport for more than two hours.

Port Klang Authority chairperson Yap Pian Hon said that it was decided that after an emergency meeting to halt work from 2.30pm today.

He pointed out that this was done in the interest of workers' health and safety.

However at a follow up meeting held at 4pm, the authority decided to lift the suspension on Northport at about 5pm despite the declaration of emergency in the area.

He said while the economic loss brought by this suspension couldn't be estimated, it would be "huge".

Northport suspended its operations for three hours late yesterday due to the dark and unhealthy conditions, which forced employees to wear protective masks and turn vehicle headlights on.

"Northport, being under essential services to the country, will continue to operate during this difficult period and will continue to monitor the condition of work areas," said a Northport statement.

The terminal operator "will make a declaration of a 'stop work order' as and when the situation worsens and does not permit to continue," it said, adding that the order would be reviewed on an hourly basis.

Westport, which also suspended operations in the afternoon, stayed shut through this evening as it waited for the haze to clear.

The Port Klang Authority, a government agency which can order a suspension of shipping activities, said that it was leaving decisions on suspensions up to the operators for now.

"The operators are monitoring and they will keep us informed as and when it is necessary," said general manager OC Phang.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Chua Soi Lek today announced that the government has decided that all schools will be closed once the API hits 300 mark. The benchmark previously stood at 400.

According to Chua, his ministry has also established two committees to monitor the haze situation, one at national level and another one at Selangor state level.