PUTRAJAYA, Sept 8 — The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) must review its existing transboundary haze mechanisms to safeguard public health and prevent severe air pollution from impacting vulnerable populations, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.
Speaking to reporters after attending a meeting with staff at the Ministry of Plantations and Commodities, Anwar emphasized that regional ministers must address the issue with urgency, as recurring air pollution directly threatens lives, particularly infants and young children.
“There is room for improvement. I think the ASEAN ministers must seriously look at it, because this is affecting lives, particularly of children, and babies, and if we have seen in Serian (it) is really concerning,” Anwar said.
The Prime Minister’s comments follow deteriorating air quality in Sarawak, where the Serian District Police Headquarters monitoring station recorded a hazardous Air Pollutant Index (API) reading of 302 this morning.
His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, consented to declaring a haze emergency across the Serian Division on Friday due to severe health hazards caused by transboundary pollution, before the declaration was lifted yesterday.
–NMT
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