Malaysia will push its Southeast Asian neighbours to strengthen cooperation in finding a long-term solution for smog wafted across the region from forest fires in Indonesia, its environment minister said. In the past few weeks, Malaysia and neighbouring Singapore have been choked by smoky air blown in from forest fires started to clear land for plantations, forcing schools to shut and many people to wear masks so as to avoid inhaling smog particles. The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) set up a regional haze action plan in 1997, but Malyasia’s Prime Minster, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, thinks the grouping has not done enough to evolve a long-term solution and is considering a new law to compel its companies to tackle fires on land they control abroad. Malaysia will also consider deploying drones to help in cloud seeding which involves spraying chemicals, such as sodium chloride and magnesium oxide, from aircraft in order to spur rainfall.

Posted by

New Straits Times