Asean to discuss regional haze crisis ahead of November summit
MANILA: Southeast Asian foreign ministers will during a meeting next month seek to tackle the transboundary haze blanketing parts of the region, Asean chair the Philippines said on Tuesday.
Southeast Asian foreign ministers will address the transboundary haze affecting parts of the region during a meeting next month, according to Asean chair the Philippines. The haze has been caused by forest and land fires that have been raging for months in Indonesia, leading to thick haze in Singapore and Malaysia, which recently closed schools in several states due to unhealthy air pollution levels.
The wildfires, primarily on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo, are Indonesia's most intense in 11 years. This issue will be on the agenda at the preparatory foreign ministers meetings in November, in anticipation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit. Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan stated that he would raise the haze issue with Asean, pointing out that the bloc's existing mechanisms to handle natural disasters do not encompass haze.
Malaysia has previously offered assistance to Indonesia in combating the fires. However, firefighting attempts in many areas have been complicated by poor visibility, accessibility issues, and unsuitable conditions for cloud seeding, as noted by Foreign Minister Mohamad during discussions with his Indonesian counterpart.
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