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Asia tackles haze problem
09/11/2006 11:06 - (SA)
Cebu - A Southeast Asian environment ministers meeting in the central island of Cebu would push for an enforcement mechanism to combat choking haze engulfing the region, a Philippine official said Thursday.
Environment ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and their counterparts from China, Japan and South Korea would seek binding agreements on haze during their two-day summit, which began on Thursday, Philippine Environment Minister Angelo Reyes said.
"We hope to arrive at a clear understanding and agreement on binding measures," Reyes said in a statement.
He said the ministers would find ways "to solve the recurring haze problem affecting the region".
Host nation the Philippines would endorse an initiative on a "transboundary environmental law enforcement network", Reyes said without elaborating.
"We consider this crucial in dealing with the raging haze problem," he said.
ASEAN environment ministers will also tackle nature conservation and biodiversity; coastal and marine environment; water resources management; multilateral environmental agreement; and sustainable cities during the summit.
Indonesian farmers burn forests annually to clear land for agriculture, causing a haze that spreads across the region during the dry season, affecting tourism and increasing health problems.
ASEAN nations forged an Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on June 10 2002, but Indonesia and the Philippines have yet to ratify the treaty.
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