Govt mulls special law to handle transboundary haze

The natural resources and environmental sustainability ministry is looking to draft specific legislation to address transboundary haze, such as the approach implemented by Singapore.

G Pubadi, the ministry’s environmental management division undersecretary, said minister Arthur Joseph Kurup recently directed the establishment of a special committee comprising the relevant ministries and agencies to study measures to strengthen efforts to tackle the haze.

“The ministry is examining the mechanisms already in place in Singapore to draft a specific Act to address the haze.

“However, drafting an act is not a simple matter,” he said in a Bernama report.

He did not mention which Singaporean mechanism he was referring to, but the country’s Transboundary Haze Pollution Act 2014 gives it legal powers to act against companies whose activities outside Singapore cause or contribute to haze in the city-state.

Pubadi also noted that Malaysia presented a paper on science diplomacy and a haze fund at Asean meetings on transboundary haze pollution in Bali in July, which received support from the five attending countries: Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, Thailand and Timor-Leste.

He said the matter would be reviewed by the Asean secretariat and brought to a meeting involving 11 countries in Vietnam this December.

Pubadi said Malaysia viewed financial sustainability as a crucial element in strengthening Asean mechanisms, ensuring that the region possesses sufficient resources including equipment and other necessities to tackle fires and transboundary haze.

Meanwhile, the environment department’s enforcement director, Rosli Zul, said the transition to the northeast monsoon, expected around mid-October, could mitigate the impact of transboundary haze as wind patterns shift, even if fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan have yet to cease.

He said monitoring efforts would be further enhanced to ensure that domestic fires do not become a source of haze after mid-October, utilising measures such as weather forecasting collaboration and satellite imagery.

Two areas recorded air pollutant index (API) readings at unhealthy levels as of 9am today, while 41 areas recorded moderate readings.

An API reading of 0 to 50 indicates good air quality; 51 to 100, moderate; 101 to 200, unhealthy; 201 to 300, very unhealthy; and 301 and above, hazardous.

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