Malaysia, Indonesia Ramp Up Measures To Tackle Haze Ahead Of National Day
PUTRAJAYA, Aug 24 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and Indonesia have agreed to ramp up preventive measures to tackle cross-border haze, to safeguard air quality, especially in the lead-up to the National Day and Malaysia Day celebrations.
Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) Minister Arthur Joseph Kurup said the commitment was reached during a phone call on Monday with his Indonesian counterpart, Environment Minister Jumhur Hidayat.
"With the El Niño phenomenon expected to intensify towards October 2026, coinciding with the Southwest Monsoon, both nations are fully committed to stepping up prevention and early suppression measures," he said in a statement Monday.
The 69th National Day celebration is set to take place at Dataran Putrajaya on Aug 31, while the Malaysia Day celebration will be held in Kuching, Sarawak, on Sept 16.
Arthur also conveyed the government's appreciation to Indonesia for granting official clearance for cloud seeding operations to cross its airspace, targeting areas along the shared border.
He said the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) and Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) are in the process of preparing a timetable to synchronise operations with the Indonesian Armed Forces Commander.
Arthur also affirmed that Malaysia, in the spirit of neighbourliness and ASEAN solidarity, remains prepared to assist in putting out fires should the Republic require support at any time, subject to Cabinet approval.
"Malaysia acknowledges and endorses the expeditious measures undertaken by the Indonesian Government, steered by President Prabowo, in ramping up forest and land fire mitigation strategies.
"These include the mobilisation of an additional 1,500 Indonesian National Armed Forces personnel, the deployment of high-capacity helicopters for water bombing missions, and the vigorous execution of weather modification operations in the field," he elaborated.
Arthur also emphasised that NRES, through the Department of Environment and MetMalaysia, will sustain rigorous surveillance of hotspot activity and ambient air quality, while preserving robust channels of communication with Indonesian authorities to protect the welfare of citizens in both countries.
By 10 am today, 10 areas across four states had registered Air Pollutant Index (API) readings in the unhealthy range, with Serian, Sarawak posting the highest figure, approaching the threshold for very unhealthy air quality.
-- BERNAMA
