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Skeptical? You are not alone.
The Indonesians just promised us that we will not be experiencing any haze this year, and for the next couple of years. This promise comes in spite of the drier weather expected to hit us this July – which would cause haze to spread more rapidly.
Our Indonesian counterpart, Mr Noerdin, even acknowledged the fact that “this year is more dangerous”, but he still guarantees that there would be “no fire, no haze”. And it’s not because they aren’t cutting down any trees this year, he is simply confident of his leadership and efforts to curb this ongoing problem.
Talk Is Cheap
Seeing as how we experienced the worst bout of haze just 2 years ago, Singaporeans aren’t sure of the legitimacy of this promise, since it’s only recently that the Indonesians were serious about curbing the haze issue.
But with their efforts – more than 160 villagers in South Sumatra have now been trained. From the head of the villages to local villagers, they’ve all been taught to handle fires and even prevent them at the onset. Most are now equipped with fire-extinguishing equipment.
They’re not only educated on how to combat fires, but also on the impact their actions would have on the environment.
Perhaps the state of emergency Indonesia declared on Riau this year spurred them to realise the high costs it has incurred – a result of their own doing. Forest fires and haze in Indonesia has resulted in an astounding US$17 million loss in 2015 alone.
What We Reckon
Skeptical? You are not alone. Even industry experts have commented that “blue skies are not guaranteed”.
Despite them saying that they “already proved this last year with our plans… there was no fire last year. This year, we are just strengthening our efforts.”
What about the haze-free skies we experienced last year? That’s only thanks to the wetter weather.
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