KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia has issued a letter to Indonesia concerning the cross-border haze that has affected the air quality of several states in the peninsular.
Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said the letter was sent to his Indonesian counterpart, under the instruction of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“We have sent the letter to my ministerial counterpart regarding the problem, as mentioned by the prime minister yesterday,” he told reporters, after officiating International Greentech & Eco Products Exhibition & Conference Malaysia (IGEM) 2023, here today.
Yesterday, Anwar said that he had directed Nik Nazmi to collaborate with his Asean counterparts to tackle the haze problem.
Last month, Nik Nazmi had also issued a letter to Malaysian plantation companies, their subsidiaries, and local firms operating in Indonesia, urging them against practising open burning to avoid transboundary haze.
As of 8am today, only Sarawak’s Sri Aman recorded an unhealthy Air Pollution Index (API) reading of 130.
However, the Indonesian government, through its Environment and Forestry Ministry, was quick to deny allegations that the haze was caused by forest and land fires in the nation.
Its minister, Siti Nurbaya Bakar, said that Malaysia’s complaint about Indonesian haze was not accurate, as “there is no transboundary haze reaching Malaysia”.
The Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre recorded 2,203 hotspots around Kalimantan from September 20-28, compared to only four in Sawarak. – October 4, 2023