KUCHING: There is no way Indonesia can deny that the source of the transboundary haze affecting Malaysia, including Sarawak, originated from Indonesia.
Deputy Minister of Energy and Environmental Sustainability Dr Hazland Abang Hipni said from Sept 20-28, there were only four hotspots detected in Sarawak while there were 2,203 hotspots in Indonesia during the same period.
“This is based on data given by the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC). So, how can they (Indonesia) deny it?” he said.
“Since it (transboundary haze) is already happening, our immediate action or short term solution is to stop open burning activities,” he told reporters after witnessing the Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) exchange ceremony for Kuching Metro Solar Smart Electric Bus Charging Station Project Demonstration at Borneo Culture Museum here Tuesday.
In Sarawak, Dr Hazland said, the Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) has stopped issuing permits for open burning, including at the farms.
On Monday, the Indonesian government, through the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK), denied allegations regarding haze from forest and land fires (karhutla) in Indonesia crossing into Malaysia.
Minister of Environment and Forestry, Siti Nurbaya Bakar, stated in an official statement in Jakarta that Malaysia’s complaint about Indonesian haze is not accurate.
“We have been monitoring the situation, and there is no transboundary haze reaching Malaysia,” she said.
As for a long term solution or strategy, Dr Hazland said his ministry had written to the Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Ministry to organise a discussion with all the Asean countries to address the issue.
He said this is because Sarawak or Malaysia could not overcome the transboundary haze alone as it involved other neighbouring countries.
“We need to have some discussions with the Asean countries and work together to overcome this problem.”
Secondly, he said, Sarawak may propose to include and discuss the transboundary haze issues during the Sarawak-level Malaysia-Indonesia Socio-Economic Cooperation (Sosek-Malindo) Conference, which is expected to be held early next year.
He added that when Indonesia refrains from forest burning, the felled trees will decompose, and there is a system that can generate biomass for energy production.
As such, Indonesia can not only reduce forest burning caused by agriculture but also create a new source of income for the country.
