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KUALA LUMPUR: The Department of Environment (DOE) under the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry will upgrade its logistics facilities as an integrative measure to fight the haze.
Its director-general, Norlin Jaafar (pix), told the press with the allocation announced in Budget 2020, DOE will upgrade its mode of transportation to have better access to remote areas to combat haze.
“We are going to upgrade our facilities especially for logistics to do inspections at the hotspots and places that are remote and we need four-wheel drives for that,” she said at the 32nd ideaXchange themed Haze: A Blame Game or an Endgame at the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade).
She added they will also upgrade their other facilities like tools to measure air quality and to have complete protective wear for better protection while combating haze.
Besides that, Norlin said they will work with the budget given to improve their standard operating procedures (SOP) and to further strengthen enforcement to eradicate illegal open burning.
“We will work with the local councils to stop open burning and we will also organise awareness programmes for the public to know the importance of taking care of the environment,” she said.
Last Friday, while tabling Budget 2020 in Parliament, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng had proposed a RM30 million allocation for DOE and the Department of Chemistry Malaysia.
Meanwhile, at the same event, deputy secretary-general of Environment and Climate Change at the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry Dr Nagulendran
Kangayatkarasu said they are looking into a proposal to set up a bilateral joint committee between Indonesia and Malaysia to combat haze.
“I think its time for us to look into this to mitigate the haze that regularly affects the Southeast Asian region,” he said.
He added there is an alternative measure to curb the haze, which is by preventing biomass from burning and to provide value chain.
“Waste can be a resource. Haze occurs when local communities like in Indonesia start burning the biomass. So this is a social economy issue,” he said.
“But if we can give them a value chain maybe they can stop from burning. According to the study by chairman of ASM Haze Task Force, Professor Datuk Ir Dr. A Bakar Jaafar it is a viable option,” he added.
“Malaysia needs to set an example where government and private sectors with the local communities find ways on alternative usage of biomass and through the joint bilateral committee, we may mainstream this solution to Indonesia,” he said.
He said biomass is anything like plants that is not utilised by humans for consumption.
When asked if there is any progress on the proposed Transboundary Haze Act, he said the ministry is still reviewing the matter before it is implemented.
