I bought an air pollution and haze KN95 respiratory mask last week. The mask was designed specifically for the situation at hand. Yes, another year of the same old, same old. Haze. It’s back. It’s choking Kuala Lumpur and many states in Malaysia with its familiar and acrid thick smog. Unwelcomed. Unwanted. But, here it is again. Thrust upon us. The recurring August to September predicament since around 1997.

The air quality in Kuala Lumpur is visibly unhealthy. According to the New Straits Times, the capital city recorded an Air Pollutant Index (API) of 138, believed to be its highest API reading since the last haze crisis in 2015. Only four years ago. Worse still were Rompin in Pahang at 197[1] and Sri Aman in Sarawak at 201[2]. An API reading of between 0 and 50 is categorised as ‘good’, between 51 and 100 (moderate), between 101 and 200 (unhealthy), between 201 and 300 (very unhealthy) and more than 301 (dangerous).

The haze contains harmful dust and smoke particles and air pollutants like sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide and particulate matter. We are all living and breathing it. The air feels heavy, oppressive and smells of burning.  We can’t see the sun because its rays cannot penetrate through the thick and smoggy air. The sun is an eerie orange glow, when it manages to show itself a little. We are not able to enjoy Malaysia’s blue skies. Not nice.

And, the blame game continues. The ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) reported that intense forest fires in Sumatra, Indonesia, particularly, the provinces of Riau and Jambi, and dry weather in the region are expected to further worsen transboundary haze[3]. While Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said satellites found 2510 hotspots ( from Sept 4 to Sept 8) spread across Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, Timor Leste, and Thailand. BMKG did not detect transboundary haze from Sumatra to Peninsular Malaysia[4].

On the ground, the same old denials and accusations surface and resurface. Companies operating in areas where open fires contribute to the trans-border haze, deny responsibility. The other usual suspects are farmers and local communities, who continue to slash and burn, to clear land for agriculture. Also, according to reports, this year’s El Nino warm-ocean pattern has contributed to an increase in forest fire hotspots to its highest level in four years[5].

So, how?

Surely, some people, some companies and some countries must be answerable and accountable for committing this criminal act on millions of people in many of the above mentioned countries. What about the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP) that was signed by ten ASEAN member countries on 10 June, 2002 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia[6]?  The agreement recognised that transboundary haze pollution that resulted from land and/or forest fires should be mitigated through concerted national efforts and international co-operation[7]. The AATHP was established as one of the key steps towards eradicating the region’s decades-old haze problem by 2020. The agreement was ratified by all member states in January 2015[8].

So how?

Is Malaysia supposed to carry on doing the same old, same old every August and September? Close schools and disrupt students’ education and examinations. Stop flights at airports and ships at ports due to poor visibility. Cancel sports and outdoor activities because it’s healthier to remain indoors. Attract lower tourist arrivals and generate less earnings to the country’s coffers. Experience productivity and revenue loss with more sick employees. All and sundry, unhappily, suffer burning eyes, runny noses and respiratory ailments. Celebrate Merdeka and Malaysia Day in a blur.  And, have its citizens diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD from missing the sun and blue skies during the haze season.

Respect for sovereignty (always good); adherence to diplomacy (always good unless its not working); unethical corporations; traditional farming practices; severe weather patterns; sluggish enforcement; meaningless penalties – all these are not helping extinguish the haze, a mainly man-made malaise, inflicted on so so many people living in affected countries in ASEAN.

Sadly, we make the same ineffectual noises when we are shrouded and smothered by haze. The monsoon rains come in October. Wind direction changes. Air clears up. Blue skies appear. The sun shines upon us once again. We return to our normal lives. We forget and move on. Until next August and September.

What if the haze arrives earlier and stays longer in 2020? Then, how ?