Malaysia is holding on to Indonesia’s assurance that steps have been made to prevent recurrence of last year’s severe haze that choked not only the country but other neighbouring countries as well.

Thus, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Dato Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar hoped that the Indonesian authority meant business.

He pointed out this was because in his meeting with Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister Luhut Pendjaitan last August, assurance was given that what happened in 2015 would not recur this year.

“Their (Indonesia) government would take all the necessary measures to prevent fire outbreak; to put out fires once discovered, and take action against plantation companies which breached the law.

“He (Luhut) also said that their government would make preparation to purchase three bombardier aircrafts in the event of fire.

“We take his words for it and hope for the best. The wind direction would change very soon and so far, there is no report of red spot in Kalimantan and in Sumatera,” he told The Borneo Post when contacted.

On September 28 last year, more than 1,700 passengers were stranded at Kuching International Airport (KIA) when thick haze and poor visibility forced the airport to cease all flight operations for about two hours.

The Santubong MP was responding to the recent Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association (Gapki) chairman Joko Supriyono’s statement that this year, the air pollution crisis caused by the haze might not recur.

Bernama quoted Joko Supriyono as saying the confidence was based on preparations being made by all parties – including the government, plantation companies and villages in the oil palm plantation areas.

Joko Supriyono reportedly said as fire was their common problem, Gapki members had been asked to proactively assist the government to overcome the problem and villagers advised to refrain from large-scale open burning.

Meanwhile, Wan Junaidi said the recent downpour experienced in the country was not a result of the La Nina phenomenon as it was not expected to happen until September but due to another tropical phenomenon called the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO).

He said MJO is a major fluctuation in tropical weather on weekly to monthly timescales.

“This brings abnormally heavy rain in several places in Malaysia,” Wan Junaidi noted.

Source:
courtesy of THE BORNEO POST

by Peter Boon

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