Joint effort to tackle El Nino, haze

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and Indonesia will step up preventive and early firefighting measures to cope with the El Nino phenomenon, says Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup (pic).

He said a phone conversation with Indonesia’s Environment Minister Mohammad Jumhur Hidayat yesterday involved discussions on the hot weather, El Nino phenomenon and transboundary haze situation currently affecting the region.

“Among the key matters discus­sed were preparations for El Nino and upcoming national events.

“With the El Nino phenomenon expected to intensify in October this year, coinciding with the southwest monsoon, both our countries are committed to stepping up preventive measures and early firefighting efforts.

“This is critical to ensure that air quality improves ahead of the 69th National Day celebrations on Aug 31 and Malaysia Day on Sept 16, which will be held in Kuching, Sarawak,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Arthur said in the spirit of good neighbourliness and Asean solida­rity, Malaysia is ready to assist Indonesia any time should assistance be required, particularly in putting out fires ­swiftly.

“Should the Indo­ne­sian government make any speci­fic request, the matter will be brought before the Cabinet for a decision,” he said.

Arthur said Malaysia apprecia­tes and supports the swift action taken by the Indonesian government, under the leadership of President Prabowo Subianto, to intensify efforts to extinguish forest and land fires.

“This includes deploying an additional 1,500 Indonesian Natio­nal Armed Forces personnel, using large-capacity helicopters for waterbombing operations and aggressively implementing weather modification operations on the ground.

“We also appreciate the Indo­nesian government for granting the agreement and official app­ro­val for Malaysia to cross Indo­ne­sian airspace to carry out cloud seeding operations involving areas along the border between the two countries.

“The National Disaster Manage­ment Agency (Nadma) and the Malaysian Meteorological Depart­ment (MetMalaysia) are currently drawing up the operational sche­dule, which will subsequently be coordinated with the commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces.

“We will continue to closely monitor hotspot activity and air quality through the Department of Environment and MetMalaysia, while maintaining close ties with Indonesian authorities for the well-being of the people in both countries,” he said.