NEA to send legal notices to 7 companies under haze law; will take further action where warranted
NEA has been tracking hotspots and smoke from fires in the region to identify the companies that contributed to the haze.
Seven companies will receive legal notices from Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) for burning on their Indonesian lands, in an attempt to halt the haze currently affecting the city-state. Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu revealed on Oct 16 that investigations have traced some of the haze to these seven companies' lands in Indonesia.
The NEA will issue Preventive Measure Notices under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act (THPA), a law designed to target those responsible for causing or condoning fires. The agency is committed to investigating all other companies responsible for the haze. The notices require the companies to deploy firefighters, cease burning activities, and submit action plans to NEA for extinguishing and preventing future fires on their lands.
Identifying the responsible companies involves analyzing satellite imagery and meteorological data, with information drawn from various sources, including open-source imagery. Fu stated that the haze is expected to persist for three to four weeks until winds change, and conditions could reach hazardous levels. The Government plans to distribute more masks and may reschedule O Level examinations if the air quality becomes hazardous.
The THPA can be triggered if the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) stays in the unhealthy range in Singapore for 24 hours or more, as was the case this year during several haze episodes.
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