{
  "id": 5774710,
  "title": "The haze demands more than another Asean pledge",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/the-haze-demands-more-than-another-asean-pledge",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-05T11:45:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2026/09/1526333/haze-demands-more-another-asean-pledge"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Last week, Kuching's Air Pollutant Index reached hazardous levels and remains unhealthy this week, prompting state of emergency declarations. A smog has enveloped the city due to forest fires in Indonesia's Kalimantan, which have spread across the border into Sarawak. Kuching has even been ranked among the most polluted cities globally, potentially surpassing Delhi, India. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto visited fire-stricken areas to emphasize the urgency of combating the fires. Currently, four of the five original ASEAN members—Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines—are grappling with unhealthy air quality. Sarawak's Yang di-Pertua Negeri, Tun Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, suggested addressing the crisis beyond the usual blame game by exploring new firefighting technologies and pooling ASEAN resources. He proposed having 20 Bombardier aircraft from each ASEAN country ready to combat the fires. Wan Junaidi also advocated for early preparedness and an early-warning system to prevent fires from becoming uncontrollable. While ASEAN member countries are currently facing this crisis, outside nations are stepping forward to offer help. The Asean Secretariat should collaborate with ASEAN and non-ASEAN countries to ensure any assistance is promptly and effectively deployed.",
  "summary": "AS the Air Pollutant Index for Kuching inched into hazardous territory last week and remains in the unhealthy category this week, alarm bells are ringing as a state of emergency was declared yesterday.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}