KUCHING, Sept 7 — Sarawak today appealed to the federal government to be more assertive when speaking to the Indonesian government on the annual transboundary haze caused by forest fires in Kalimantan.
State Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, who is also the state Disaster Management Committee chairman, highlighted the air pollution index (API) reading for the city topped 216 at 2pm, denoting “very unhealthy” levels.
“We have received reports that there were over 1,000 hotspots in Kalimantan, and the thick smog originating from the hotspots there was blown over the border to Kuching, Samarahan and Sri Aman Divisions,” he told reporters after attending a presentation of funds from the Unit For Other Religions by Chief Minister Datuk Abang Johari Openg here.
Uggah said he had a meeting last night with officers from the Department of Environment, Natural Resources and Environment Board and the Civil Defence Department on the distribution of face masks to schoolchildren in the haze-affected areas.
“We are very concerned with the haze coming over from the other side of the border and that is why we want the federal government to discuss with the Indonesian government on the urgent need to tackle haze problems,” he said.
He said the state government does not deal with the Indonesian government since international relations are handled by the federal government.
Uggah said the state government will know what to do if the hotspots are detected in Sarawak, such as planting cloud seeds to create artificial rain.
As for schools, especially in Kuching, Samarahan and Sri Aman Divisions, he said the state Education Department has a fixed standard operating procedure (SOP) to follow.
He said the department and school principals have been given the discretion to close schools if the API reaches 200.
Uggah said face masks have handed over to the department for distribution to schools in the three divisions.
