KUALA LUMPUR: Jabatan Perdana Menteri (JPM) menyokong penuh titah Sultan Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah supaya solat hajat diadakan bagi memohon ke hadrat Allah SWT supaya keadaan jerebu yang melanda Sarawak ketika ini bertambah baik.

Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri (Hal Ehwal Agama), Dr Zulkifli Hasan, berkata seluruh masjid di Wilayah Persekutuan dan umat Islam di seluruh negara diseru menyatukan saf bagi memohon pertolongan kepada Allah SWT.

"Adalah menjadi kewajipan agama bagi kita untuk menzahirkan solidariti melalui pelaksanaan solat hajat dan doa secara berterusan.

"Gabungan ikhtiar fizikal serta keutuhan doa adalah senjata utama orang beriman kerana sesungguhnya tiada satu pun ujian yang diangkat melainkan dengan keizinan, rahmat dan kasih sayang Allah," katanya menerusi hantaran di Facebook hari ini.

Beliau pada masa sama menggesa seluruh umat Islam mengambil iktibar atas ujian itu dengan memelihara alam sekitar yang juga amanah Allah, di samping sentiasa mematuhi arahan pihak berkuasa bagi menjaga keselamatan jiwa.

"Marilah kita memperbanyakkan amalan soleh dan memohon keampunan, mudah-mudahan Allah mengangkat ujian jerebu ini dan mengurniakan kesejahteraan serta udara yang bersih kembali kepada saudara-saudara kita di Sarawak," katanya.

Pada Sabtu lalu, Sultan Pahang menitahkan solat hajat diadakan di semua masjid di seluruh negeri Pahang dan bertitah doa serta ikhtiar perlu berjalan seiring dalam menghadapi keadaan jerebu yang boleh menjejaskan kesihatan serta kesejahteraan rakyat. – BERNAMA

JOHOR BAHRU, Aug 25 — A weak earthquake measuring 3.1 magnitude struck the waters off Batu Pahat, Johor, at 4.12pm today.

In a statement, the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) said the epicentre was located at coordinates 1.7 degrees north and 102.8 degrees east, about 18 kilometres (km) south-west of Batu Pahat.

“The quake was recorded at a depth of 10km.

“There is no tsunami threat to Malaysia,” it said in the statement issued today by the National Weather and Earthquake Operations Centre, MetMalaysia. — Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR — Indonesia has begun to bring forest and land fires under control, and hopes the situation can be fully resolved within the next one or two weeks, President Prabowo Subianto said.

Prabowo said substantial resources have been mobilised to tackle the fires, including dozens of helicopters, more than a dozen aircraft, hundreds of water wells and pumps, as well as thousands of personnel.

“I think it has begun to be brought under control and mitigated in several places. I hope that within one or two weeks everything can be resolved,” he said in his speech at the launch of  Indonesia’s 100-gigawatt solar power programme and groundbreaking ceremony Jembrana, Bali, today, Bernama reports.

Prabowo said the world was experiencing a strong El Nino this year, forecast to be among the strongest on record, requiring Indonesia to remain vigilant against risks arising from the weather phenomenon.

The president said he had personally visited several areas to inspect the situation and found that regional governments, ministries and agencies, the military, police and disaster management authorities were working effectively.

Last Saturday, Prabowo travelled to West and Central Kalimantan to inspect forest and land fire operations and lead response efforts, before heading to Sumatra on Monday to oversee firefighting operations there.

Haze has affected Malaysia with several areas in Sarawak and along the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia recording unhealthy readings this morning.

As of 2pm this afternoon, Selangor had six — the highest number among states — areas affected.

Department of Environment (DOE) Deputy Director-General (Development) Azuri Azizah Saedon said these areas were Johan Setia with the highest Air Pollutant Index (API) reading  at 173, followed by Shah Alam (162), Kuala Selangor (153), Petaling Jaya (152), Klang (151), and Banting (146).

Other peninsula states affected by haze at unhealthy levels were Perak, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur and Kedah

Azuri Azizah said moderate to dense transboundary haze was detected in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, moving northward towards the western part of Sarawak, while moderate to dense smoke plumes were also observed in other parts of Kalimantan as well as central and southern Sumatra.

In terms of hotspots, the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) recorded 287 hotspots in Kalimantan,  65 in Sumatra and 11 in Malaysia as of today.

The 11 hotspots in Malaysia were eight in Sarawak, two in Johor, and one in Selangor. – August 25, 2026

PETALING JAYA: Rakyat negara ini dijangka terus berdepan isu jerebu sehingga hujung September mengambil kira fasa akhir Monsun Barat Daya.

Selain itu, ia juga bergantung kepada bila kebakaran hutan di Indonesia dapat dipadamkan sepenuhnya.

Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Meteorologi Malaysia (MetMalaysia), Dr. Mohd. Hisham Mohd. Anip berkata, arah tiupan angin dari negara jiran itu ke negara ini dikenal pasti sebagai faktor utama yang menyebabkan jerebu semakin teruk.

Jelas beliau, arah tiupan angin itu sepanjang musim Monsun Barat Daya telah membawa jerebu rentas sempadan akibat kebakaran hutan di negara jiran yang masih belum terkawal.

Katanya, keadaan cuaca panas dan kurang hujan di negara akibat daripada Monsun Barat Daya pula dijangka akan berterusan hingga penghujung September.

“Selagi masih berlaku kebakaran yang tidak dikawal, agak sukar untuk jerebu berkurangan sebab tiupan angin sepanjang musim monsun ini adalah dari Indonesia ke negara kita

“Jika terdapat peningkatan dalam taburan hujan masalah jerebu ini akan dapat dikurangkan,” katanya kepada Utusan Malaysia.

Sebanyak 29 kawasan di seluruh negara masih merekodkan bacaan Indeks Pencemaran Udara (IPU) pada tahap tidak sihat setakat pukul 3 petang semalam.

Bagaimanapun, jumlah itu menunjukkan penurunan berbanding 32 kawasan pada sebelah pagi.

Berdasarkan data portal Sistem Pengurusan Indeks Pencemar Udara Malaysia (APIMS), Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah (IPD) Serian, Sarawak merekodkan bacaan tertinggi iaitu 182.

Di Sarawak, selain Serian, kawasan lain yang merekodkan bacaan tidak sihat ialah Sri Aman (170), Kuching (160), Samarahan (156) dan Sarikei (153).

Mengulas mengenai Operasi Pembenihan Awan (OPA) bagi mengatasi masalah itu, Mohd. Hisham berkata, keadaan atmosfera dan pembentukan awan semasa di kawasan terjejas masih belum kondusif untuk berbuat demikian.

Tambahnya, bagi unjuran tiga hingga lima hari akan datang, kualiti udara bergantung sepenuhnya kepada perkembangan di lapangan terutamanya usaha mengawal kebakaran di negara jiran.

“Masalah jerebu ini dijangka berkurangan jika api berjaya dipadamkan dan semakin buruk sekiranya sebaliknya,” katanya. – UTUSAN