An Indonesian minister called yesterday for the evacuation of 45,000 people from a Sumatran town where he said smoke had cut visibility to zero, as Malaysia's Government said residents of the capital may be evacuated if air pollution hit emergency levels.
Environment Minister Sarwono Kusumaatmadja said 'you can't see anything' in Rengat, adding his ministry had photographs of people fleeing the town because of the haze.
'We haven't had any reports of large migration, but we have to assume it has to happen. In Rengat, I would recommend an evacuation right away,' he said.
Indonesia has given 50 forestry companies 15 days to stop slash-and-burn land clearing or have their licences revoked.
Malaysian Information Minister Mohamad Rahmat, chairman of the national disaster management committee, said a state of emergency would only be declared if the pollution index hit 500.
It stood at 139 yesterday - regarded as 'unhealthy' - after surging past the 'hazardous' level of 300 the previous two days. The Air Force is to be mobilised for cloud-seeding to disperse the haze.
