RINGLET, Sept 4 — Even as the haze continues to cloud the skies, National Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar is preparing to meet his Indonesian counterpart to hammer out an agreement preventing haze pollution in the region.
Wan Junaidi said the haze condition on the west coast of the peninsula had worsened since yesterday, after more hotspots were discovered throughout Sumatra in Indonesia.
“Based on the readings from the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) in Singapore, 395 hotspots have been identified in Sumatra, and another 82 were spotted in Riau,” he told reporters yesterday.
“Thankfully the number of hotspots in Kalimantan have reduced, so the condition in Sabah and Sarawak is quite good.”
Wan Junaidi said the peninsula was actually being spared the brunt of the haze conditions at the moment.
“The winds in Sumatra are blowing from the south to the north. If they shift east towards our direction, things could get much worse,” he said.
He said he was waiting for the green light from his Indonesian counterparts to visit Jakarta and sign a memorandum of understanding on Sept 17 or 18.
Wan Junaidi said five nations were involved in the agreement — Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand and Singapore.
“The agreement outlines several guidelines to follow whenever cross-border haze takes place,” he said.
“I am sure some of the actions have been taken (by the Indonesians). If not, the number of hotspots in Kalimantan would not be reducing.
“We have agreed upon these actions and are just waiting to put it down in writing so it becomes an obligation for the participating members.”
Wan Junaidi also said the decision to close schools because of the haze would have to be made by the Health Ministry.
“Once the API reaches 200, the Health Ministry will advise the Education Ministry or the respective schools to close down,” he said.
