Brunei Darussalam has urged ASEAN member states to strengthen their national preparedness and capacity to address the persistent issue of transboundary haze pollution.
Permanent Secretary (Planning, Land Use and Environment) at the Ministry of Development Dr Nor Imtihan binti Haji Abdul Razak made this call at the 19th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (COP-19) in Bangkok, Thailand.
The permanent secretary also shared that Brunei Darussalam experienced haze impacts from local fires and transboundary haze during the fourth week of March this year due to low rainfall and a high number of fires in Brunei Darussalam, as well as transboundary haze pollution. The situation resulted in increased air quality readings, with the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) reaching a moderate level (PSI 55 to PSI 78) across monitoring stations. However, occasional downpours helped to reduce and prevent hazy conditions from persisting in the country.
The meeting was attended by ministers, officials/representatives for the environment, land, forest fires and haze from ASEAN member states and the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, under the Chairpersonship of Thai Vice Minister for Natural Resources and Environment Narapat Kaeothong. The 19th Meeting of the Committee under the Conference of the Parties to the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (COM-19) preceded the meeting.
The meeting reaffirmed their commitment to the full and effective implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP) and encouraged the remaining ASEAN member states to expedite the signing of the Establishment Agreement of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control (ACC THPC) to complete the full establishment and operationalisation of the Centre in Indonesia. This would facilitate faster and more effective implementation of the AATHP to address transboundary haze pollution in the region, including the establishment of the Committee of ACC THPC.
The meeting noted the good progress in the implementation of the Second Roadmap on ASEAN Cooperation towards Transboundary Haze Pollution Control with Means of Implementation (Haze-free Roadmap) 2023-2030, the Second ASEAN Peatland Management Strategy (APMS) and the agreed monitoring and evaluation frameworks in further strengthening, intensifying and comprehensively addressing the root causes of transboundary haze pollution. The meeting welcomed the establishment of the Ad-Hoc Task Force of the ASEAN Investment Framework for Haze-free Sustainable Land Management to lead the engagement and coordination among ASEAN member states, relevant sectoral bodies and partners towards successful implementation of the ASEAN Investment Framework. The meeting also welcomed the development of the ASEAN Guideline on Burned Area and Estimation for Achieving a Haze-Free Southeast Asia to enhance the capacity of ASEAN member states to map, manage and mitigate wildfire impacts effectively. The meeting acknowledged the adoption of the ASEAN Guidelines on Crop Burning Reduction, the ASEAN Action Plan on Sustainable Agriculture, the ASEAN Pathways for Carbon/Greenhouse Gas Neutrality and the 46th Meeting of the ASEAN Ministerial for Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF).
The meeting noted the assessment by the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) that the hotspot count over the Mekong sub-region in 2024 was elevated during its traditional dry season between December 2023 and May 2024. The situation escalated in March 2024 with Alert Level 3 issued on March 6 and widespread transboundary smoke haze was observed to affect many parts of the sub-region. Overall hotspot counts for the sub-region remained high in the last five years but were 12.5 per cent lower in 2024 compared to 2023. Alert Level 1 was issued on July 17 for the start of the dry season of the southern ASEAN region.
While the overall hotspot count over the southern ASEAN region was relatively high compared to the last five years, it was 44.3 per cent lower in 2024 compared to 2023. The meeting noted that La Niña conditions are expected to become established in December and then persist until at least early 2025. Over the southern ASEAN region, the hotspot and smoke haze situation is likely to remain suppressed under its traditional wet season.
However, some increase in hotspot activity may occur over the region during the dry phase of the northeast monsoon, typically around late January-February 2025. The meeting also noted upcoming changes to satellite tools for fires and haze used by ASMC.
The meeting noted the updates of the Southeast Asia Fire Danger Rating System (SEA FDRS) presented by the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MET Malaysia). The Fire Weather Index (FWI) of the SEA FDRS consistently aligns with the ASMC alert notifications, demonstrating the reliability and accuracy of the products.
The meeting also noted the capacity building of SEA FDRS among ASEAN member states held on December 5 and 6, 2023, to strengthen the technical capacity of the agencies to utilise the SEA FDRS products. MET Malaysia will continuously improve the SEA FDRS by procuring additional servers for operational backup. The meeting also noted that other Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) products will be tested to enhance the accuracy of FDRS forecasts.
The meeting recognised the ASEAN member states’ significant efforts and active roles in strengthening capabilities and aligning national policies with the regional priorities in assessment, prevention, mitigation and management of land and/or forest fires and the resulting haze. While La Niña is expected in the coming dry seasons, the meeting agreed on the importance of taking strong action to improve vigilance, preventive measures and immediate fire suppression procedures to mitigate land and forest fires and minimise the occurrence of transboundary haze during periods of drier weather.
The meeting expressed appreciation to the partners for their strong commitment and valuable cooperation to the implementation of the AATHP. The meeting congratulated the successful completion of the Sustainable Use of Peatland and Haze Mitigation in ASEAN (SUPA). The meeting commended the ongoing support from the Measurable Action for Haze-Free Sustainable Land Management in Southeast Asia (MAHFSA) Programme and welcomed the upcoming SERVIR Southeast Asia Supporting ASEAN Transboundary Haze Monitoring Project. The meeting emphasised the importance of building stronger cooperation to advance the implementation of the Second Haze-free Roadmap and the Second APMS towards a haze-free ASEAN and called upon continued partnerships and support from regional and global partners through the ASEAN Investment Framework for Haze-free Sustainable Land Management.
The meeting noted that Laos had organised Capacity Building Workshops on Strengthening Regional Actions to Address Transboundary Haze and Plastic Pollution in Southeast Asia; and Transformative Action to End Open Burning of Waste in ASEAN held on December 10-13, in Vientiane as a 2024 ASEAN Chairmanship Deliverable.
The meeting noted the reports by the Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution (MSC) and the Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution in the Mekong Sub-Region (MSC Mekong) in reaffirming their commitment to address specific haze-related issues occurring in the respective regions. The meeting congratulated the successful 25th MSC in Thailand, the 12th MSC Mekong in Vietnam and the 13th MSC Mekong recently held in Cambodia in preparation for the upcoming dry season of the northern ASEAN sub-region.
The 20th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution will be held in 2025 in Malaysia, back-to-back with the 18th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment. – James Kon
