South Penang district education chief, Mohamed Dziauddin, said that the decision to close educational centers within a of 10-kilometer radius will have effect from tomorrow on.

Officials of the sector concluded that the air quality index in the areas around the educational centers “could affect the health and threaten the life of the inhabitants”.

Dziauddin added thta during the 3-day closure students will continue their learning through online lessons.

Some 400 inhabitants that live near the landfill of Pulau Burung in Penang were asked over the weekend to move to help centers.

The landfill fire broke out last Wednesday, affecting an area of 6.5 hectares out of the total 16.2 hectares of the site.

According to Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of Environment and Water, Mansor Othman, it could take another week to extinguish the fire at the landfill, which is managed by a private company.

Othman explained that the Fire and Rescue Services Department is facing a problem of water shortage, which also has low pressure, and lack of sand to quench the fire.

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