Malaysia declared an emergency near its capital on Thursday as acrid haze from Indonesian forest fires drove air pollution readings into the danger zone, forcing a brief closure of its biggest port.

Peninsular Malaysia faces its worst pollution crisis in eight years. Choking haze from forest fires on Sumatra island is threatening public health, disrupting transport and stoking fears for the economy.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak told a news conference in the capital the government was doing everything possible to deal with the problem.

In Teluk Nipah, a village near Port Klang, 70 km (44 miles) west of the capital, schools were closed and the haze hid objects more than 200 m (220 yards) distant.

“I have had fewer customers since last week,” said Rani Talib, 33, the owner of a street hawker stall. Five customers eating dishes of chicken and rice all wore facemasks.

“My doctor gave me medical leave for two days,” said Muzamil Olel, 32. “I have a sore throat and a headache.”

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi declared an emergency for the areas of Kuala Selangor, a fishing and agricultural town, and Port Klang, the country’s biggest port, where pollution hit levels considered hazardous.

Both places are in Selangor, Malaysia’s wealthiest and most-densely populated state, which surrounds the capital. Schools in Selangor would be closed for the rest of this week, state Chief Minister Khir Toyo said.

In an emergency, the government can order the closure of state and private-sector offices, although establishments offering essential services, such as markets, clinics and hospitals, will stay open.

The government can also limit the use of private vehicles and ban open bonfires, but haze emergencies do not involve curfews or handing power to the police or military, officials said.

Malaysia has offered to help fight the fires on Sumatra, and its environment and commodities ministers flew to the island to meet Indonesia’s forestry minister and officials from Jakarta’s environment ministry.

State news agency Bernama said the Malaysian plan covered three aspects - putting out fires, inducing rain through cloud-seeding, and long-term plans to prevent a recurrence.

INDONESIAN RESPONSE SEEN POSITIVE

On his return, Malaysian Environment Minister Adenan Satem told reporters the Indonesian response to the plan had been positive. “The ministers will discuss this with various local governments in Sumatra,” he added.

Najib told the same news conference Malaysia would deploy 125 firemen and rescuers to Sumatra, along with five fire vehicles. “They will leave any time, once we get clearance from Indonesia.”

In Jakarta, a spokesman for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said he wanted serious action to resolve the problem. “If we find any negligence we will surely take stern action,” spokesman Dino Patti Djalal said.

Haze at Port Klang halted cargo-handling operations for two hours, but they resumed by late afternoon after visibility improved, a spokeswoman said. “We will continue to monitor the situation,” she added.

An airport on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur closed as visibility fell below 300 m (330 yards), grounding many small government and private jets that use it.

The pollution crisis is the worst since 1997, when smoke mainly from Indonesian forest fires blocked out skies across Southeast Asia.

Fires on Sumatra, close to Malaysia’s west coast, flare up around this time each year as farmers, plantation owners and miners burn forests to clear land during the dry season.

But health authorities say the smog has reached dangerous levels, and asthma attacks have soared.

The pollution index had fallen slightly by Thursday evening to stand at 295 in Kuala Lumpur and 486 in Port Klang, below the 500 level that triggered the emergency, although in Kuala Selangor it was at 527, the environment ministry said on its Web site.

Readings of between 0 and 50 are considered to be good and 50-100 moderate.

Abdullah has given environmental officials permission to automatically declare an emergency once the pollution index breaks through 500 rather than having to wait for the prime minister’s approval, Bernama reported.

The haze has also hit the stock market, dragging down shares in the airport, airlines and tourism industries.