ASEAN environment ministers hopeful haze won't be as bad this year
By Asha Popatlal, 23 June 2008 1743 hrs
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SINGAPORE : Drier weather over the next three months may trigger more hot spot activities and spell the return of the haze.
But with some measures to contain the Indonesian forest fire situation already in place, regional environment ministers attending the fifth meeting of the Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution are hopeful the situation will be better compared to 2006.
At any top-level haze meeting this time of the year, there is always one burning question - will the haze be back?
Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Singapore's Environment and Water Resources Minister, said: "I wouldn't say there is no haze. I think the hot spots have come down. Indonesia's own POA (Programme of Action) is to reduce it by 50 per cent. That means there will still be hot spots, but the number will be reduced.
"My sense is that the efforts on the ground are already in place. Like all plans, there is always a weakest link that we don't understand until it gets implemented."
Indonesia has budgeted some US$87 million on land and forest fire control.
Masnellyarti Hilman, Indonesia's Deputy Minister for Nature Conservation, Enhancement and Environmental Degradation, said the government has informed the people not use fires to clear their land.
"... we'll do the monitoring. We'll come to the district level to check... and (work) together with the local government," the minister added.
Indonesia is also receiving help from its ASEAN neighbours.
Singapore is concentrating its efforts on an area called Jambi, which - if successful - can be used as a model for other Indonesian regions tackling the haze problem. It has already committed over US$700,000 for some seven projects there.
Singapore and Indonesia are now looking at two new action programmes, costing over half a million US dollars.
In the first programme, Singapore Food Industries will train farmers in fishing, so they can develop an alternate livelihood. The second involves managing the vast tracts of peatland in Indonesia, which can smoulder and burn for a long time.
Malaysia, one of five other countries at the meeting, has been focusing its efforts in Riau Province. From next month, it will spend US$600,000 to train farmers in zero-burning techniques and fire-fighting, and install an air monitoring station.
The ministers will meet again in October in Phuket, Thailand. - CNA/ms
