Cross-border haze to ease in two weeks as monsoon transition begins, says deputy minister

The haze affecting Malaysia's air quality is expected to decline as wind patterns change with the onset of the monsoon transition phase.

Strengthening domestic enforcement and regional cooperation is essential to addressing the haze issue at its source and reducing future incidents.

Enforcement actions have been taken against open burning, and cloud seeding operations have been conducted to mitigate the effects of the haze.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 — The cross-border haze that has affected Malaysia’s air quality since August 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 had entered the monsoon transition phase on October 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 the proposed introduction of a Cross-Border Haze Pollution Act and greater transparency in sharing hotspot data and information on plantation concessions.

Young Syefura, meanwhile, sought clarification on the government’s diplomatic engagements with Indonesia, including the responses received and the effectiveness of the measures taken.

She also called for stronger domestic enforcement and better protection for vulnerable groups.

In his response, 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 August 3 and October 9.

These comprised 2,104 monitoring actions, 168 field orders, 32 notices, 13 compounds and two court actions.

As part of the mitigation efforts, the government also conducted 11 cloud seeding operations between August 30 and October 15 in collaboration with the Malaysian Meteorological Department, the National Disaster Management Agency and the Malaysian Army.

“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 any official information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Ministry of Plantation and Commodities regarding the alleged involvement of Malaysian companies in open-burning incidents in Indonesia. — Bernama

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随着季风过渡阶段的到来，风向发生变化，预计影响马来西亚空气质量的雾霾将会减轻。

加强国内执法和区域合作对于从源头上解决雾霾问题和减少未来事件至关重要。

已对露天焚烧行为采取执法行动，并开展了人工增雨作业以减轻雾霾的影响。

吉隆坡，10月13日讯——马来西亚自然资源及环境可持续发展部副部长赛义德·易卜拉欣·赛义德·诺表示，自8月8日以来影响马来西亚空气质量的跨境雾霾预计将在未来两周内随着风向的变化而逐渐消退。

他表示，马来西亚已于10月9日进入季风过渡阶段，预计东北季风将于本月底开始。

“但是，我想强调的是，仅仅改变天气状况并不能从根本上解决雾霾问题。雾霾问题可能会再次发生。”

“因此，防火工作必须从源头上解决问题。必须加强国内执法力度，同时必须加强区域合作，以降低类似事件再次发生的风险，”他今天在下议院特别会议上说。

Syed Ibrahim 回应了 Khoo Poay Tiong（希望联盟-哥打马六甲）提出的担忧，Khoo Poay Tiong 将雾霾描述为一场影响公共卫生、安全、经济和公众福祉的国家危机。

Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen 博士 (PH-Bandar Kuching) 和 Young Syefura Othman (PH-Bentong) 也提出了这个问题。

Yii表示，雾霾不再仅仅是季节性的麻烦，而是需要采取更有力措施的年度紧急情况，包括提议引入《跨境雾霾污染法》，以及在共享热点数据和种植园特许经营信息方面提高透明度。

与此同时，杨·赛弗拉要求政府澄清与印度尼西亚的外交接触情况，包括收到的回应以及所采取措施的有效性。

她还呼吁加强国内执法力度，更好地保护弱势群体。

赛义德·易卜拉欣在回应中表示，最近一次雾霾事件是由印度尼西亚多个地区（包括加里曼丹和苏门答腊）森林和土地火灾增加造成的，这影响了马来西亚的空气质量，特别是沙捞越的空气质量。

他表示，环境部 (DOE) 在 8 月 3 日至 10 月 9 日期间收到了 2104 起关于露天焚烧的投诉，并进行了 3039 次执法行动。

这些措施包括 2104 项监测行动、168 项现场命令、32 项通知、13 项罚款和 2 项法庭诉讼。

作为缓解措施的一部分，政府还在 8 月 30 日至 10 月 15 日期间与马来西亚气象局、国家灾害管理机构和马来西亚陆军合作进行了 11 次人工增雨作业。

他说：“在执行涉及跨境因素的法律时，主要挑战在于获得足够的证据来确定污染源并找出责任方。”

赛义德·易卜拉欣补充说，该部尚未收到外交部或种植及原产品部关于马来西亚公司涉嫌参与印尼露天焚烧事件的任何官方信息。——马新社

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内政部将就五名在日本缉毒行动中被捕的马来西亚人寻求更多详情，赛夫丁·纳苏蒂安表示。

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