Singapore has developed a Haze Monitoring System (HMS) which cost around SGD$100,000. In the recent ASEAN meeting, Singapore requested land use and concession maps. Presumably, Singapore wanted to pin point the companies that are causing the haze.
Singapore’s Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, said the unwillingness of some governments to share relevant land use and concession maps "is an obstacle to full operation of the Haze Monitoring System". He went on to say that there is lack of transparency in the part of those governments.
He said he was disappointed. He went ahead to explain that he asked for the names of companies, and the evidence to be shared so that (we) can take appropriate action against the culprits. [Link]
I have been following the development of HMS and was pleased to read that Singapore can get ASEAN to agree and to set up an ASEAN Ministerial Committee to resolve the problem.
Since day one when there was a serious haze last June, Singapore has been requesting for the land use and concession map but the neighbours have never agreed. This time, Singapore’s neighbours are again not agreeing to release the data and they gave some excuses.
I believe Singapore has shared the HMS with its neighbours. I was wondering why Singapore must get the names of the companies and “punish” the culprits. Wouldn’t this directly insinuating that Singapore’s neighbours are not able to enforce their domestic affairs although the haze problem is trans-boundary
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the collaboration is still being finalised and therefore, it is doubtful that the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution specified that Singapore’s neighbours must supply the land use and concession maps. Singapore’s persistence to request for land use and concession maps would only create more hurdles further down the road in the collaboration. Couldn't Singapore consider other approaches?
skyjuice
TRS Contributor