KUCHING: Former Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar wants the Federal Government to tackle the recurrence of haze urgently.
He said in the past, a multi-agency committee comprising the Metrological Department, Environment Department, Fire and Rescue Department, Health Department as well as the police, army and representatives from relevant state agencies would be formed to address the issue.
The committee, he said, would give the mandate to Department of Environment to establish a rapport and contact its Indonesian counterpart and exchange information on which was the most effective diplomatic solution when it came to the trans-boundary issue.
“Our direct and constant communication with Indonesian government activates the necessary action from the authorities in the neighbouring country. So, I am not sure if they (Putrajaya) still do this,” he said.
The Santubong Member of Parliament also questioned Indonesia’s pledge made at the Asean Ministerial Committee meeting, where it assured that there would be no cross-border haze after 2017.
He also called upon the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change (MESTECC) Minister Yeo Bee Yin to act immediately on the haze issue.
Earlier today, Yeo said her ministry was working with the Foreign Affairs Ministry to send a diplomatic note to the Indonesian government on the matter.
“The ambassador of Malaysia to Indonesia is scheduled to meet the Indonesian government on Monday (today),” she said.
A call would also be arranged by the Malaysian envoy after the meeting for Yeo to speak to her Indonesian counterpart to reiterate the urgency to bring the fires in Indonesian territories under control.
“The government will exhaust all diplomatic channels to raise the urgency to the Indonesian government to act on haze,” she said.
She also offered Indonesia help to put out the fires in Kalimantan and Sumatera.
Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said it was the responsibility of the federal government to reduce hotspots and tackle the trans-boundary haze.
“Although the hotspots in Kalimantan has reduced from 1,014 on Saturday to 426 today (Monday), the hot and dry weather will continue until end of the month. Thus, the state is expected to experience poor air quality in the coming weeks.
“We need Putrajaya to talk to them (Indonesia),” he said after attending the State-level official birthday celebration of the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah here.
Uggah, who is also the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee chairman, also said that cloud seeding could only be carried out the earliest on Thursday. This was based on the wind direction and availability of clouds in Kuching and Sri Aman as forecast by the Meteorological Department.
Bandar Kuching Member of Parliament Dr Kelvin Yii (DAP) also urged MESTECC to convene meetings with stakeholders including its counterparts from Indonesia to address the haze situation in Sarawak.
“Instead of a diplomatic note, there is a need for reconvening of Asean Ministerial Committee to enforce the existing understanding between two nations in relation to the Haze Agreement 2002 and taking innovative steps to overcome the problem.
“This was especially pertinent in respect of the global climate change and the shifting of capital of Indonesia to Kalimantan as announced recently,” he said.
Meanwhile, the state’s Fire and Rescue Department director Khirudin Drahman said local forest and peat fires had also contributed to the haze which affected parts of Sarawak.
“It is frustrating that this (haze) occurs every year, especially during the prolonged dry and hot weather.
“Apart from the cross-border haze, some irresponsible parties who conducted open burning here are also culprits. Have these people (culprits) forgotten about the haze in 1997?” he asked.
He was referring to the worst haze in Sarawak, whereby the air pollutant index in Kuching breached 800
and a state of environmental emergency was declared.
The department had recorded 154 forest and peat soil fires in Sarawak since Sept 1, he added.