SINGAPORE: Singapore will during its 2027 Asean chairmanship work towards establishing a region-wide coordinating centre for transboundary haze pollution control, said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu on Tuesday (Nov 3).
This centre, which will be based in Indonesia, will strengthen cooperation and coordination in managing land and forest fires and transboundary haze, she said in Parliament.
Singapore will also work with other countries in the region to enhance the implementation of initiatives that tackle the root causes of haze, such as sustainable land and peatland management, and guidelines on crop burning, added Fu.
Fu was responding to questions from several MPs, including Hazlina Abdul Halim (East Coast GRC) and Hany Soh (Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC), on how transboundary haze was being tackled at the Asean level.
The coordinating centre, when established, will join other regional efforts to tackle the recurring pollution.
For instance, Singapore, since 1993, has been hosting a monitoring facility called the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre, which tracks hot spots in the region and provides early warning and alerts on haze.
The minister noted that the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution is the key framework for Asean member states to work collectively to prevent, monitor and mitigate land and forest fires and the resultant haze.
This legally binding agreement was signed in 2002 and has been in force since 2003. It commits members to preventing, monitoring and mitigating cross-border pollution.
Indonesia ratified the legally binding agreement in 2014.
The regional haze centre, called the Asean Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control, is a key component of the agreement. But it needs six Asean member states to ratify an establishment agreement before it can be implemented.
Fu said Singapore plans to ratify the agreement in the next few days, and “will strongly encourage other Asean member states to do so”.
Vietnam had submitted its approval for the centre’s establishment in mid-2026.
The centre also aims to facilitate cross-border exchanges of firefighting technology, expertise and resources, and to manage requests and activate regional emergency assistance, according to the agreement published on the Asean website.
Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said Singapore plans to ratify the agreement in the next few days, and “will strongly encourage other Asean member states to do so.”
The root cause of the haze blanketing Singapore and the region in September and October is the fires raging on forest and plantation land in Indonesia.
Most blazes are sparked by slash-and-burn agriculture practices, where farmers use fire to clear land.
Noting that some nations in the bloc indicated they will be raising the transboundary haze issue at upcoming Asean meetings, Fu said: “Singapore will support these discussions, and share how Singapore intends to act against companies responsible for the haze.”
A few MPs also asked for updates on Singapore’s offer for assistance during the haze crisis in October.
On Oct 16, Fu had communicated with her Indonesian counterpart, Environment Minister Jumhur Hidayat, to offer civilian assistance to support firefighting efforts as well as cloud seeding.
On Oct 19, Indonesia informed Singapore that it was able to handle the situation and did not require foreign assistance, said Fu.
She added: “Singapore respects Indonesia’s sovereignty and its assessment of its needs, including whether the establishment of a joint regional firefighting task force would be helpful.”
Forest fires in Indonesia sent unhealthy air periodically to Singapore from Sept 4.
From Oct 5, the situation worsened with 18 consecutive days of unhealthy air until Oct 22.
The highest Pollutant Standards Index reading for the entire haze season was a very unhealthy 230 on Oct 18 in western Singapore.
In May, ahead of the dry season, Singapore alerted Asean nations in May to step up vigilance and strengthen regional coordination, said Fu.
At an Asean meeting on transboundary haze in July, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand highlighted their respective national preventive measures, and reaffirmed their commitment to remaining vigilant and taking appropriate measures during the dry season, the minister added.
Poh Li San (Sembawang West) asked if more could have been done to prevent the haze crisis, since early warning was given in July.
Fu said: “We look forward to working more closely with our ASEAN member states to see how we can learn from this lesson and to do even better.”
She also noted that 10 Singapore-registered companies and 10 Indonesian firms have been sent legal notices under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act.
Hazlina asked how Asean’s haze cooperation and advancements in satellite monitoring since the last haze crisis of 2015 have improved investigations and capabilities to identify those responsible for the fires in Indonesia.
Fu said that while satellite technologies have improved, when it comes to pinpointing those responsible for burning, Singapore will need lots of official information and records from the host country.
The Government has said it would introduce changes to the current haze law in Parliament this week to give it more teeth in dealing with culprits. - The Straits Times/ANN
