Haze chokes Malaysia’s farmers, families and businesses
Severe transboundary haze caused by forest fires in Indonesia is negatively impacting Malaysia's economy and public health. Businesses are reporting significant revenue losses, while the prolonged dry season exacerbates the environmental crisis.
Why it matters
The haze highlights the regional economic and health consequences of climate-linked environmental disasters in Southeast Asia.
Chef Teddy at his empty cafe in Puncak Jalil on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, on Oct 15. Business at the cafe is down 30% as severe haze keeps diners away.
Listen Summarise Haze is hurting farmers, with lower yields, longer growing cycles and crop damage. Businesses face falling sales, reduced customer traffic Haze disrupts daily life beyond the economy, affecting workers and children, while increasing health risks and medical bills AI generated
KUALA LUMPUR – Up every morning at 4am to prepare his kitchen for two shifts, 52-year-old Chef Teddy is no stranger to hard work. He runs Dapur Warisan in Puncak Jalil, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, from 9am to midnight daily. But as transboundary haze blankets the area, he is finding that no amount of effort, however gruelling, can outpace the polluted air.
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