The number of hot spots recorded in Sumatra so far this year is at its
highest level in many years, Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore's Minister for the
Environment and Water Resources, said at a regional meeting.
Balakrishnan's observation was
shared by a number of other Asean ministers at the Asean ministerial meeting on
the environment and related matters in Bangkok on Wednesday.
Figures show the hot spot count
for this year has exceeded that for 2006, the last year in which Singapore
experienced a prolonged haze.
Delegates attending the meeting
urged Indonesia to ratify the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution
as soon as possible, a statement issued by the Ministry of the Environment and
Water Resources in Singapore said. In response, Indonesia reported that it was
in the final stages of its ratification process.
The discussions took place among
environment ministers at the eighth meeting on the Asean haze agreement, one of
the related meetings of the 12th Asean Ministerial Meeting on the Environment.
The meeting also urged Asean
member states to ensure that companies adopt zero-burning techniques for land
clearing. As a follow-up, those present at the meeting discussed the
identification of errant companies and cross-referencing of the location of hot
spots, the statement said.
The haze season usually occurs
each year from June to September, which is the dry season in Indonesia and also
a time when farmers there clear land using the slash-and-burn method.
The worst episode of haze to hit
the region occurred in 1997.
Asean's efforts to tackle the
annual haze problem saw nine of its members ink the 2002 Asean Agreement on
Transboundary Haze Pollution. Only Indonesia has yet to ratify the accord.
Meanwhile, in Jambi, Sumatra,
health officials warned of a sharp spike in the number of people with
respiratory problems. According to Andi Pada from the Jambi provincial health
office, the number of people suffering from respiratory tract ailments in the
Sumatran province has risen to 3,020, with 1,241 of them in the capital, The
Jakarta Globe reported.
He added that the standard air
pollution index in the city had already reached unhealthy levels of more than
100 particles per million.
Local health officials have
distributed some 3,000 masks to the population, especially for motorists,
reports said.
Another official said attempts
were being made to artificially induce rain in the area.
But this was proving difficult
with few clouds and the dry nature of the air, he added.
The Straits Times
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