The haze phenomenon is expected to be short-lived, says Nik Nazmi

KUALA LUMPUR - The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) expects the haze phenomenon to not last long here, due to frequently changing winds.

Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said the ministry through MetMalaysia is ready to conduct a cloud seeding operation if the haze continues and the air quality condition deteriorates, i.e., the Air Pollution Index (IPU) reading is 151 to 200 over 24 hours.

He said the operation is under the coordination of the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) in collaboration with the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), subject to suitable atmospheric conditions.

"The Ministry through MET Malaysia also provides forecasts of up to five days of cross-border haze movement generated using the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) and Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS) Haze Movement Prediction Model to relevant departments and agencies.

"The output (data) of the haze movement forecast is also communicated to the public through the MetMalaysia website (http://bencana.met.gov.my)," he said during the Minister's Briefing Session on the haze phenomenon affecting the country at the Dewan Rakyat today.

Commenting on the preparation for the haze, Nik Nazmi said Asean countries have taken proactive measures to deal with the haze problem through international negotiation channels, preventive measures, and enforcement in their respective areas.

"All countries, including Malaysia, have established a regional cooperation on haze prevention measures under the framework of the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution.

"Under the agreement, Malaysia is committed to cooperate especially in the fields of capacity development, information sharing, and expertise in the enforcement of open burning laws, zero burning farming technology, sustainable peatland management, and firefighting training.

"The Malaysian delegation, led by myself, attended the 24th meeting of the Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution (24th MSC) and the meeting of the Technical Working Group on Transboundary Haze Pollution on June 7 and 8 June 2023 in Singapore," he said.

He added that the Malaysian delegation led by the Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change (NRECC) Ministry and its Deputy Minister had also attended the 18th Conference of the Parties to the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (COP-18) on Aug 22 2023, in Vientiane, attended by all Asean member countries.

"Through this series of key meetings, all Asean member countries have reported their respective actions and strategies in the prevention of open burning and haze and continue to commit in ensuring that the initiatives set out in the new Second AseanHaze-Free Roadmap will be implemented accordingly to achieve the goal of a haze-free Asean by 2030.

"In addition to the cooperation under Asean, Malaysia also has bilateral a cooperation with Indonesia on a 'government-to-government' basis for haze prevention efforts.

"The Indonesian side has shown a high commitment to deal with the transboundary haze problem since the haze incident in 2015 and has implemented the 'Indonesia's Plan of Action (PoA) in dealing with transboundary haze pollution'," he explained.