Air pollution: Palani to meet Indon counterpart

The Natural Resources and Environment minister plans to finds ways to tackle air pollution issues when he meets his counterpart, Balthasar Kambuaya, on Wednesday

KUALA LUMPUR: Natural Resources and Environment minister G Palanivel will hold talks with his Indonesian counterpart Balthasar Kambuaya on Wednesday to find solutions to the haze situation enveloping the country.

Palanivel said this after witnessing the signing ceremony of the Giant Panda Protection and Research Programme between the government of Malaysia and the Malaysian Zoological Society.

Palanivel said he will be discussing the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution which was signed by all the Asean members in 2002 to reduce haze pollution in Southeast Asia.

However, as of March 2010, Indonesia remains the only Asean member state that has yet to ratify this agreement.

Elaborating on his upcoming visit to Indonesia, Palanivel also said that they will discuss on cloud seeding methods, which he said must be done in Indonesia.

“If we were to do it only in Muar, the haze will still be there so we need to do it in Indonesia itself,” he said.

When asked if Malaysian companies in Indonesia should also be held accountable for the haze, he said: “We will take action if the open burning is in Malaysia. But It’s the Indonesian government who must take action,” he said.

It is believed that 50% of Indonesia’s oil palm plantations are controlled by over 50 Malaysian companies with their plantations concentrated in Sulawesi, Kalimantan and Sumatra.

Regarding the exhibition centre for the two pandas which will be brought from China, Palanivel said the centre will be completed in November and the two pandas will be brought over in either December 2013 or January 2014.

The RM25 million centre was designed by Multi Spex Architects.

Last June, the Malaysian and Chinese government signe a deal for two panda cubs, Feng Yi and Fu Wa to be loaned to the country for 10 years.

Palanivel said discussions have been held with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak on upgrading works on the national zoo and that a working paper will be submitted at the next Cabinet for deliberation.

“After upgrading work is done, the zoo may start operating at night, like the zoo in Singapore which is popular with tourists. Right now we are unable to operate at night because we don’t have many facilities,” he said.