BEIJING: Malaysia is hoping a change in wind direction will ease the haze from fires in Indonesia within the next two weeks, bringing relief to Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Deputy Prime Minister said the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) had forecast that wind surges would shift towards the Indian Ocean, potentially helping to disperse the haze.
“MetMalaysia’s director-general informed me that the wind surges are expected to shift towards the Indian Ocean within the next two weeks.
“I hope this will help ease the haze, at least in Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak, as well as elsewhere,” he told a press conference with the local media delegation here on Tuesday (Oct 13).
Ahmad Zahid said the haze was caused by fires, with hotspots in Kalimantan and Sumatra continuing to pose challenges.
“Malaysia has offered some assistance, but Indonesia has deployed more than 19,000 personnel. I do not think it will require assistance from Malaysia, given the manpower and equipment it already has to tackle the fires,” he said.
He said the fires could take several more weeks to extinguish completely, but hoped changing weather patterns would help reduce the severity of the haze.
Wind surges in Kalimantan were also forecast to change direction towards the South China Sea, he added.
“We hope humanitarian efforts and scientific approaches can help address the situation, as we do not want to continue suffering the effects of haze from our neighbouring country every year,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid said Malaysia was monitoring the situation through MetMalaysia and hoped the forecast changes in wind direction would bring relief to affected areas.
On Oct 11, Malaysia offered to help Indonesia resolve the transboundary haze issue rather than resorting to legal action.
Haze from Indonesian fires has affected Malaysia and Singapore, raising concerns over air quality and public health.
Ahmad Zahid is on a five-day working visit to Beijing and Tianjin to deepen bilateral cooperation in areas including security, law enforcement and technical and vocational education and training.
