SE Asia environment ministers agree on haze plan
Source: Reuters
(Recasts with ministers agreeing on action plan against haze) MACTAN ISLAND, Philippines, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Environment ministers from five Southeast Asian countries endorsed a plan of action on Thursday to fight forest fires in Indonesia that have spread choking smoke across the region. Ministers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Thailand, meeting on a central Philippine resort island, agreed to set up an early warning system, build dams to block streams and rivers to divert water to underground peatlands and set up community-based firefighting brigades on Indonesia's Sumatra and Borneo islands, where most fires have raged. "We are very happy that we have a consensus," Indonesian Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar told reporters. "It's not Jakarta's plan of action, it's a product of the region's cooperation and team spirit." Indonesia's neighbours have grown increasingly frustrated by the fires, most of which are deliberately lit by farmers or by timber and palm oil plantation companies -- some owned by Singaporeans and Malaysians -- to clear land for cultivation. The smoke from the fires, known in the region as haze, affected much of Southeast Asia for months until rains a few weeks ago, triggering fears of a repeat of the choking smog that hit the region in 1997-98. The plan of action would be formally adopted on Friday when environment ministers from the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) start two days of talks to expand cooperation in protecting and conserving the environment. A Philippine official told Reuters the environment ministers would continue discussion on the problem on Friday, focusing on the setting up of a regional haze fund and discouraging slash-and-burn practices by farmers. The official said international donour agencies, including multilateral organisations such as the Asian Development Bank, were being encouraged to contribute to the haze fund. "We're setting up our own revolving fund to give farmers alternative means to clear lands and forests without burning activities," Witoelar said, adding ASEAN also needed scientific and technical expertise in dealing with the problem. On Saturday, officials from China, Japan and South Korea are expected to join the talks on global and regional environmental issues and ways to expand cooperation in 10 priority areas of concern. Angelo Reyes, the Philippines' environment secretary, said there would also be discussions on ways to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss, promote cooperation in marine resources research and push for the integration of environmental education programmes in the region.
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