Meeting on haze with Indonesia put off again

KUCHING: The meeting to discuss the transboundary haze has been put off for the third time due to the worsening situation in Indonesia.

The meeting between Malaysia and Indonesia on the haze has been postponed twice before, also due to the poor air quality.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and Indonesian Minister of Environ­ment and Forestry Dr Siti Nurbaya Bakar were scheduled to meet in Jakarta yesterday.

Their meeting, to discuss the contents and terms of a memorandum of understanding to combat the transboundary haze, was first scheduled for Sept 18.

A statement from the ministry yesterday said a new date for the meeting had yet to be set.

“The haze is getting worse and a state of emergency has been declared in a number of places in Indonesia.

“Dr Siti Nurbaya is now actively involved in bringing the necessary aid to the people in the affected places,” it said.

The MoU is to focus on the enforcement of laws, zero-burning practice in Indonesia, peat soil management and collaboration between the countries when haze-causing fires break out.

Indonesia is also expected to sign similar agreements with Singapore, Thailand and Brunei.

In January, Indonesia was the last member country to ratify the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution.

This MoU between the two neighbours was agreed to during the 17th Meeting of the Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution.

Wan Junaidi had said that the MoU would be signed before the end of the year and that the draft had been completed. — Bernama