KUALA LUMPUR: The Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry is examining mechanisms to draft specific legislation addressing the issue of transboundary haze, including considering the approach implemented by Singapore.
The ministry’s Environmental Management Division undersecretary Dr G. Pubadi said its minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup had recently directed the establishment of a special committee comprising relevant ministries and agencies to study measures to strengthen efforts in tackling the haze.
“The ministry is indeed examining the mechanisms already in place in Singapore to draft a specific act to address the haze issue. However, drafting an act is not a simple matter,” he said, Bernama reported.
Pubadi noted that Malaysia had also presented a paper on Science Diplomacy and a Sustainable Haze Fund at the 27th Technical Working Group meeting and the Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee meeting in Bali, Indonesia, recently.
He said the proposal received support from the five countries attending the meeting: Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, Thailand and Timor-Leste.
According to him, the matter will be reviewed by the Asean Secretariat before being brought to a meeting involving 11 countries in Vietnam this December.
Malaysia has also proposed more open sharing of haze-related data.
Pubadi said Malaysia views financial sustainability as a crucial element in strengthening Asean mechanisms, ensuring the region possesses sufficient resources including equipment and other necessities to tackle fires and transboundary haze.
Environment Department (DOE) enforcement director Rosli Zul noted that DOE operates 68 air quality monitoring stations as the official system, and the public is advised to refer to the department’s readings to avoid confusion with other platforms that employ different measurement methods.
He added that enforcement against open burning, a major contributor to haze continues to be intensified, noting that nearly 80% of complaints received by DOE annually relate to such activities.
Regarding the current haze, Rosli said the transition to the Northeast Monsoon, expected around mid-October, could potentially mitigate the impact of transboundary haze as wind patterns shift, even if fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan have not yet ceased.
He said monitoring efforts would be further enhanced to ensure domestic fires do not become a source of haze after mid-October, utilising measures such as weather forecasting collaboration and satellite imagery.
