A local NGO has urged the Malaysian government and its Indonesian counterpart to stop blaming each other for the haze in the region.
The two countries should instead work toward finding a solution to the issue, said Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) president Meenakshi Raman.
"Every time there is haze, both countries would end up blaming each other. This is unhealthy as we have yet to find a solution to the problem, which occurs almost every year.
"We must solve the haze issue immediately as the people are affected by it and are falling sick," Meenakshi told Malaysiakini.
The Department of Environment has said the unhealthy air quality recorded in parts of Peninsular Malaysia lately was due to transboundary haze billowing from Indonesia.
Indonesia's Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar later denied this, saying smoke distribution reports showed that there is no smoke crossing over from their country to Malaysia.
She added that 203 companies have received warnings, and 20 were ordered to halt operations, including Malaysian subsidiaries.
Yesterday, Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said Malaysia has yet to receive any response after sending a letter to Indonesia on the matter.
Meanwhile, based on the latest data from the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC), there are no hotspots in Peninsular Malaysia compared to more than 10 locations between Sept 26 and Sept 29. However, there are several 'low-risk' hotspots in Sabah and Sarawak.
The ASMC was established in January 1993 as a regional collaboration programme among the National Meteorological Services of Asean member states. It is hosted under the Singapore Meteorological Service.
Meenakshi also said all Asean member countries should work together to solve the recurring haze problem.
"We have an environment committee of Asean countries which convenes every year to talk about haze.
"But to date, there has yet to be a solution. Why is this issue taking so long to be resolved?
"All Asean countries, especially those affected by the haze, must step up to settle this problem," she said. - FMT
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