HAZE IN MALAYSIA CAME EARLY, STICKING AROUND

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KUALA LUMPUR 000699 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR CA/OCS/EAP STATE FOR EAP/MTS FOR DBISCHOF STATE FOR OES STATE FOR REO/BKK FOR HHOWARD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO AMED CASC EAGR AMGT PGOV MY ECON SUBJECT: HAZE IN MALAYSIA CAME EARLY, STICKING AROUND REF: A. 2008 Kuala Lumpur 717 ¶B. 2009 Jakarta 1339 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The annual haze came early to Malaysia this year, starting in late May. Forest and peat fires primarily in Indonesia are the main cause of the haze, although some burning in Malaysia, including in the Bakun Dam region of Sarawak, has contributed to the problem. The haze has dramatically reduced air quality in Malaysia over the summer with the Department of the Environment (DOE) categorizing several days as unhealthy due to excessive particulate matter (PM). Visibility has been dramatically reduced perhaps causing some flight cancelations and delays at local airports. While the Government of Malaysia (GOM) has engaged in cloud-seeding exercises, ultimately the authorities are counting on Mother Nature in the form of rain to bring the problem under control. Unfortunately, the dry season is predicted to last until perhaps October and hundreds of fires continue to burn in the region. Environment Minister Douglas Unggah traveled to Indonesia on August 8 to discuss the haze problem with his counterpart. END SUMMARY. -------------- Haze Season Starts Early -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Malaysia's annual haze season started early this year with smoke from forest and peat fires in Indonesia and Malaysia creating a gray blanket over much of the country over the past two months. The haze is an annual event during the relatively dry summer months where open burning from both man-made and natural fires becomes difficult to control (see Ref A. for a report on the haze situation last year). The situation is exacerbated by the draining of peat swamps from logging and land conversion in both Indonesia and Malaysia. Without rain, these drained peat swamps will smolder interminably once lit. The haze is typically the worst in July and August but this year the situation started early with much media fanfare. The GOM is currently tracking more than 50 "hotspots" or fires in both the Peninsula and Borneo but there have been as many ¶900. -------------- Air Pollutant Index -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Malaysia Depart of the Environment (DOE) maintains an Air Pollutant Index (API). This measurement is posted to the DOE web site (www.doe.gov.my) originally twice each day, at 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM but a third 7:00 AM posting has been added since August 11. The index takes into consideration PM10 (for particulate matter under 10 microns),sulfur dioxide (SO2),nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ground-level ozone (O3),and carbon monoxide (CO); Malaysia does not currently have a separate PM2.5 measurement and there are no actual ambient air quality standards for any of the measured five pollutants - just guidelines issued in 1988. The API methodology is based on U.S. EPA's Air Quality Index (AQI). Like the AQI, Malaysia reports the day's API as the highest single score from the above-mentioned five pollutants. The score is then categorized as Good (0-50),Moderate (51-100),Unhealthy (101-200),Very Unhealthy (201-300),and Hazardous (>301). In almost every case, the highest reading is for PM10, which therefore drives the daily API rating. ¶4. (SBU) The API is measured in 50 locations nationwide and the score typically falls in the Good or low Moderate category when it is not haze season. From June 1 of this year, Kuala Lumpur's API has fallen in the Moderate category 90% of the time, with about half of those days nearing the Unhealthy level. Kuala Lumpur has had two days categorized as Unhealthy. The API in East Malaysia (Borneo) was relatively better than the Peninsula until recently. Starting on about August 3, fires in Indonesian Kalimantan and East Malaysia created a thick haze, which was particularly bad in the Sarawak cities of Miri, Sibu, and Bintulu. Several of these areas have faced multiple days of Unhealthy API readings occasionally bordering on Very Unhealthy. -------------- Who Is to Blame? -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Blame for the haze gets pinned on a variety of actors but almost all parties in Malaysia agree that the vast majority of the problem comes from Indonesia (see Ref B. for related reporting from Indonesia). For its part, Malaysia has implemented a no-burn policy within oil palm plantations during the haze season, but enforcement is questionable according to several local NGO representatives. KUALA LUMP 00000699 002 OF 003 Most Malaysian large plantation owners blame the problem on a large number of small scale slash and burn farmers. Small-scale shift farming, which does use slash and burn methods, is still practiced within parts of Malaysia but this is decreasing in size. Land conversion from forest to plantation may be the more important culprit as fires are intentionally started to clear the land for oil palm according to several NGO sources in Sarawak. Manually clearing the land would lead to revenue from timber but with the high price of palm oil, it may be more profitable for some firms to simply burn the land. -------------- Sarawak Burning -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The situation in Malaysia could get worse however, as revelations surfaced on August 17 that massive burning is planned in order to complete the Bakun Dam in Sarawak. Sarawak Conservation Action Network (SCANE),a local NGO network, has alleged that the developer of the dam plans to burn the on-site debris rather than transport it. The area in question is larger than 64,000 hectares and may be as large as 80,000 hectares, larger than Singapore. The government has yet to respond, but the dam is much maligned by environmental groups like SCANE. As such, the scope of this burning is still unclear especially with regard to what extent it will impact the air quality. Sarawak Hidro, the company building the dam, managing director Zulkifle Osman acknowledged to local media that the clearing of "biomass" in the Bakun reservoir had started, but he did not elaborate on the method. Reporters from The Star, a local newspaper, have reportedly entered the site and found that, despite no evidence of a burn permit, some burning has indeed already commenced but no reports of wide-scale fires. The area is slated to be flooded by October. ¶7. (SBU) Sarawak state Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) controller Penguang Manggil said that open burning is currently banned in the state and all licenses have been suspended for the time being. Fines of RM9,000 (about USD2,500) are issued for first-time and small offenses with a possibility of RM30,000 (about USD8,500) and imprisonment for guilty verdicts if a larger case goes to trial. He stated that so far 25-30 of the smaller fines have been issued this year. It is unclear still if any charges will be issued for the burning in the Bakun Dam area. So far, no one has been taken to court. -------------- Malaysia's Response -------------- ¶8. (SBU) The GOM continues to fight fires as they arise but water levels have become low without adequate rain. Not content to merely wait for rain, the GOM has engaged in proactive cloud seeding in Sarawak. This exercise has led to patches of rain but not enough to truly end the dry spell. Dr. Yap Kok Seng, Director General of the Malaysia Meteorological Department (MMD),has argued that cloud seeding only works with suitable clouds, which are rare this time of year. Despite some brief rain this week, Dr. Yap said that the dry season is predicted to continue perhaps well into October. In the meantime, the GOM has advised individuals to avoid outdoor activities when the air is unhealthy. These warnings have often come in conjunction with H1N1 warnings to curb unnecessary social gatherings. ¶9. (SBU) Minister of Natural Resoruces and the Environment Douglas Unggah traveled to Indonesia on August 8 to discuss the haze problem with his GOI counterpart, Rachmat Witoelar. This was the latest session in an ongoing dialogue between the two countries on ways of mitigating the annual haze. Malaysia has previously offered technical assistance and remote monitoring to Indonesia for forest fire fighting and the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding last year, which has so far led to the creation of a monitoring station and courses on zero-burning methods for Indonesian farmers. At this latest meeting, Minister Unggah proposed damming peat swamps so the water can be used to fight fires. Malaysian Housing and Local Government Minister Kong Cho Ha said on August 11, that Malaysia was ready to send help in the form of manpower to Indonesia for firefighting but so far, no GOI request has been made. ¶10. (SBU) More substantive actions may not be forthcoming because of reluctance on the Indonesian side to accept responsibility; GOI deputy environment minister for law enforcement Illyas Asaad reportedly expressed his doubts on August 6 that the Malaysian haze KUALA LUMP 00000699 003 OF 003 comes from Indonesia. He told Indonesian media that the GOI has yet to take any urgent steps with regard to the fires. Indonesian Forestry Minister M.S. Kaban told the Indonesian media on August 4 that the GOI would only take firm action to control fires if haze disturbed flights and sparked protests in Malaysia and Singapore. ¶11. (SBU) The local media has reported that several domestic and international flights have been canceled or delayed throughout the summer due to the poor visibility, especially in East Malaysia. In most cases, the delays are short, 30 minutes or less, until visibility improves. Kamaruzzaman Razali, manager of manager of Malaysia Airports Sdn Bhd (MAB) has disputed these claims, stating that the reported delays were probably technical in nature and not due to decreased visibility from haze. Regardless, visibility has been affected. Visibility is usually about four to ten kilometers in Kuala Lumpur on a clear day but has dropped to two kilometers during the haze. The visibility in parts of Sarawak has reportedly dropped below 800 meters on occasion this summer, while visibility in Riau, Indonesia, where the worst fires are burning, is reportedly less than 50 meters, reportedly causing the airport there to close for extended periods of time. KEITH