KUALA LUMPUR: The transboundary haze that has affected Malaysia's air quality since Aug 8 is expected to gradually subside over the next two weeks as wind patterns change, Deputy Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh said.
He said Malaysia entered the monsoon transition phase on Oct 9, with the northeast monsoon expected to begin towards the end of this month.
"However, I want to emphasise that changes in weather conditions alone are not a long-term solution to the haze issue. It could happen again.
"Fire prevention efforts must therefore address the problem at its source. Domestic enforcement must be strengthened, while regional cooperation must be enhanced to reduce the risk of similar incidents recurring," he said during the Special Chamber session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Syed Ibrahim was responding to concerns raised by Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-Kota Melaka), who described the haze as a national crisis affecting public health, safety, the economy and public well-being.
The issue was also raised by Dr Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen (PH-Bandar Kuching) and Young Syefura Othman (PH-Bentong).
Yii said the haze was no longer merely a seasonal nuisance but an annual emergency requiring stronger action, including a proposed Cross-Border Haze Pollution Act and greater transparency in sharing hotspot data and information on plantation concessions.
Young Syefura sought clarification on the government's diplomatic engagements with Indonesia, including the responses received and the effectiveness of measures taken.
She also called for stronger domestic enforcement and better protection for vulnerable groups.
Syed Ibrahim said the latest haze episode was caused by an increase in forest and land fires in several parts of Indonesia, including Kalimantan and Sumatra, which had affected air quality in Malaysia, particularly in Sarawak.
He said the Department of Environment (DOE) received 2,104 complaints concerning open burning and carried out 3,039 enforcement actions between Aug 3 and Oct 9.
These comprised 2,104 monitoring actions, 168 field orders, 32 notices, 13 compounds and two court actions.
As part of mitigation efforts, the government also conducted 11 cloud-seeding operations between Aug 30 and Oct 15 in collaboration with the Malaysian Meteorological Department and the National Disaster Management Agency.
"The main challenge in enforcing laws with cross-border elements is obtaining sufficient evidence to establish the source of pollution and identify the parties responsible," he said.
Syed Ibrahim added that the ministry had yet to receive official information from the Foreign Affairs Ministry or the Plantation and Commodities Ministry regarding the alleged involvement of Malaysian companies in open-burning incidents in Indonesia.
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