Expedite enactment of a comprehensive Clean Air Act
LETTERS: The recurring haze affecting Malaysians should be a serious warning that we cannot continue to treat air pollution as a seasonal or temporary problem.
The haze plaguing Malaysia should serve as a stark reminder that air pollution is not a fleeting issue, but a persistent concern affecting communities, schools, outdoor activities and daily life. Several areas have experienced unhealthy air quality, prompting authorities to consider more stringent measures when pollution levels reach hazardous levels.
The government is urged to swiftly pass a comprehensive Clean Air Act, incorporating input from experts in various fields, including environmental scientists, public-health specialists, legal professionals, industry representatives, local authorities, and civil society. The legislation should address air pollution from numerous sources, not just transboundary haze, and strengthen several key areas: air-quality standards and monitoring, pollution prevention and emission controls, enforcement with meaningful penalties, accountability for polluters, controls on open burning, public-health protection measures, technological and scientific data utilization, and clear emergency protocols.
While regional cooperation with ASEAN is crucial for tackling transboundary haze, Malaysia must also enact strong domestic legislation to protect citizens' right to breathe clean and safe air. Now is the time to transition from a reactive approach to a prevention-based, science-driven and legally enforceable clean-air regime.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
