KUALA LUMPUR: The country is bracing itself for hazy days ahead, with hot and dry weather conditions expected to prevail in the coming months.
Heng Kiah Chun, Regional Campaign Strategist at Greenpeace Southeast Asia noted that the haze phenomenon is primarily caused by peatland and forest fires, both in Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia and Thailand.
He said the growth of monoculture agriculture in these countries was a major contributing factor to deforestation and degradation of peatlands, making such areas vulnerable to fires.
“The return of hot and dry weather caused by the El Nino phenomenon is also making the haze situation even worse,” he told Astro Awani.
Authorities have been on high-alert in recent weeks as unhealthy air levels of air pollution continue to rise.
Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa advised the public to limit their time outdoors and to mask up, while closing their windows to prevent haze particles from entering their homes.
Yet the haze has been a recurring environmental issue for the country, dating back several decades.
In conjunction with Earth Day on April 22, Greenpeace Malaysia held up a banner in front of the Petronas Twin Towers to demand for stronger policies addressing air pollution.
Heng said there were three solutions to effectively tackle this long-standing issue, the first of which was to restore peatland.
“The solution is fire prevention, not just firefighting. So protecting, restoring and re-flooding peatland can solve the root cause of this peatland fire and transboundary haze,” he said.
He also said companies must take responsibility for their supply chain management policies and deforestation commitments.
“Companies must stop forest and peatland clearance, start restoring peatland and demand the same from their suppliers.”
Heng added that it was high time for governments in Southeast Asian countries to work together and enact their own Transboundary Haze Pollution Act.
Such an act would be able to hold domestic firms responsible for international environmental misconduct that affects the region.
“A number of Malaysia's own companies were pinpointed for causing forest fires in Indonesia in the past few years.
“Having a Transboundary Haze Act can provide a legal ground to institutionalise check and balance to ensure that our companies are not contributing to the haze locally and abroad.”
Malaysia had tabled its own Transboundary Haze Pollution Act in September 2019, which was dropped by the following administration in 2020 in favour of a more regional approach.
However, Heng said a two-pronged approach that combined diplomacy and accountability was necessary to tackle the haze issue in the long run.
“Forest fires and haze pollution are man-made disasters that could have been avoided.
“What we are seeing now is rich companies getting the benefits, while the people are suffering. This is climate injustice.”
Faye Kwan
Mon Apr 24 2023
Authorities have been on high-alert in recent weeks as unhealthy air levels of air pollution continue to rise.
Pelajar tahfiz perlu teroka bidang teknologi
Kira-kira 200,000 pelajar tahfiz di negara ini, perlu dipastikan untuk mempunyai kemampuan dan peluang menjadi tenaga penggerak kepada umat Islam Malaysia dalam meneroka bidang yang dahulu dilihat sebagai asing., tegas Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Perpaduan rakyat prasyarat ekonomi mampan
Tidak semua negara Islam mempunyai ruang dan kesempatan untuk terus aman dan damai, dan mempunyai peluang untuk menikmati ekonomi yang kukuh dan berkembang seperti Malaysia, tegas Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Beliau berkata, rakyat Malaysia perlu mempunyai tekad untuk memahami maksud dan keperluan perpaduan di kalangan mereka, serta kekuatan dalaman yang seterusnya dapat dijadikan tonggak untuk negara membuat langkah seterusnya.
Beliau berkata, rakyat Malaysia perlu mempunyai tekad untuk memahami maksud dan keperluan perpaduan di kalangan mereka, serta kekuatan dalaman yang seterusnya dapat dijadikan tonggak untuk negara membuat langkah seterusnya.
Tidak perlu tergesa-gesa tukar ke lesen B - JPJ
Pemegang Lesen Memandu Malaysia (LMM) Kelas B2 dan B1 tidak perlu tergesa-gesa mendaftar Program Khas Peralihan LLM Kelas B2/B1 Kepada LMM Kelas B kerana tiada had masa ditetapkan untuk permohonan.
KPWKM teruskan lapan inisiatif bantu warga emas
Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat (KPWKM) akan terus menggerakkan lapan inisiatif utama dalam memenuhi keperluan jagaan dan sistem sokongan terhadap warga emas.
Warga emas maut ditikam anak kandung yang berhalusinasi
Seorang pesara guru maut ditikam anak kandungnya sendiri di sebuah rumah dekat Kampung Senaling, di sini, petang Sabtu.
Menurut Ketua Polis Daerah Kuala Pilah, Superintendan Amran Mohd Ghani, siasatan awal mendapati warga emas berusia 65 tahun itu cuba memujuk anak lelakinya yang juga pemegang kad orang kurang upaya (OKU) mental yang dikatakan mahu membunuh diri.
Menurut Ketua Polis Daerah Kuala Pilah, Superintendan Amran Mohd Ghani, siasatan awal mendapati warga emas berusia 65 tahun itu cuba memujuk anak lelakinya yang juga pemegang kad orang kurang upaya (OKU) mental yang dikatakan mahu membunuh diri.
Berita tempatan pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Berikut adalah berita yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang Sabtu, 5 Oktober 2024.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Hezbollah lancar serangan peluru berpandu ke atas kompleks industri ketenteraan di utara Israel
Pergerakan Hezbollah di Lubnan berkata mereka telah melancarkan serangan peluru berpandu ke atas kemudahan ATA Defence Industries.
Tiada kaitan dengan pelantikan CEO MDEC, Anuar Fariz bukan adik saya - Fahmi
Menteri Komunikasi Fahmi Fadzil menyangkal dakwaan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif (CEO) baharu Perbadanan Ekonomi Digital Malaysia (MDEC) Anuar Fariz Fadzil merupakan adiknya.
Israel lakukan persiapan untuk serang Iran - Laporan
Tentera Israel sedang bersiap untuk "tindakan balas besar-besaran dan ekstrem" terhadap Iran.
600,000 kanak-kanak meninggal dunia setiap tahun kerana hidu udara tercemar
Setiap hari, 93 peratus, iaitu lebih 1.8 bilion kanak-kanak di bawah umur 15 tahun terdedah dengan udara yang tercemar sehingga mengancam kesihatan dan proses membesar.