Malaysia: Haze can be avoided -- Activist

New Straits Times 14 Mar 14;

KUALA LUMPUR: The air quality in certain parts of the country today is getting unhealthy due to thick haze and this should not have happened if the authorities have enforced the existing laws, says a prominent local social activist.
Datuk Seri Ang Lai Soon, dubbed by the environmental fraternity as the 'green crusader,' said the health and welfare of Malaysians should never be allowed to be compromised in the name of 'progress and prosperity.'

The Department of Environment (DOE) today reported that Port Klang recorded a very unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) reading of 203 as at 1 pm while 12 other areas in Klang Valley, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Melaka continue to record unhealthy API readings.

In a statement, Ang hoped by now the authorities had acted to bring the current situation, which was rather alarming, under control.

The DOE has listed the main sources of air pollution in Malaysia as industries, development activities, motor vehicles, land clearing and open burning and forest fires.

All the pollution could be controlled through legislation and enforcing strict adherence to that legislation, he said.

Ang, who is also a well-known philanthropist from Sarawak, quoted a finding by BMZ, a German concern, that "Malaysia’s developments into a modern and sustainably managed industrial country requires a modern comprehensive environmental policy, including air pollution control."

On the air pollution that is being generated from outside the Malaysian borders, Ang suggested that the authorities should not only resort to diplomacy but also charge such polluters of the cost incurred in all aspects of dealing with the pollution.

Ang, who is the founder of St John Ambulance Sarawak and President of Sarawak Cheshire Home, said the dangerous polluted air levels needed to be eliminated for the welfare and well-being of the public, especially the very young, the senior citizens, and the vulnerable,
particularly those who have lung problems, heart and cancer patients, diabetics and pregnant mothers.

“Everyone is affected by the bad haze or smog but those who suffer the most are those from the lower income groups. This is not only peculiar to this country but throughout the world. Life has never been fair and it never will be,” Ang said.--BERNAMA

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