Environment     

Singapore welcomes Indonesia's ratification of haze pact

Xinhua, September 17, 2014

• The Singapore government said on Tuesday that it welcomed the decision of Indonesian parliament to ratify the ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution.

  The Ministry of Environment and Water Resources said that the ratification was "timely," as the number of fire hotspots in Sumatra and Kalimantan islands appeared to have recently increased.

  "Transboundary haze pollution has been plaguing our region for decades. There is an urgent need for effective action at the source, including deterrence, investigation and enforcement against errant companies responsible for the haze," the ministry said in a statement.

  The ratification, which came 12 years after the regional pact was first signed, obliges Indonesia to strengthen its policies and enforcement against forest fires and causes of transboundary haze, and participate in regional decision-making on the issue.

  Air quality has recently obviously worsened, with the Pollutant Standards Index in the "unhealthy" range of 113. The reading fell back to "moderate" range on Tuesday due to a change in the direction of the wind.

  Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore's minister for environment and water resources, said that Singapore thinks there is a pressing need for more effective measures on the ground.

  "Singapore looks forward to closer cooperation with the Indonesian government and our ASEAN partners to tackle this recurrent problem," he wrote in a social media post.

  The practice of slash-and-burn to clear land for agricultural purposes is still seen in Sumatra, Indonesia, producing smogs that sometimes affect neighboring countries and regions. The PSI reading hit more than hazardous levels last year in Singapore and Malaysia, prompting calls for more efforts to reduce the number of hotspots.

  Indonesia has been making efforts to reduce the number of hotspots but it appears challenging.

Copyright © China.org.cn. All Rights Reserved