3 years too long a wait for Indonesia to solve smoke problems, says Zahid

Three years will be too long of a wait for Indonesia to solve the problems in its country leading to the smoke that is now blanketing neighbouring countries such as Malaysia and Singapore, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today. Commenting on Indonesia president Joko Widodo's undertaking that Indonesia might be able to solve the problem within three years, Zahid said the timeline was too long. "Malaysia welcomes the measures (announced by Widodo) but three years is too long." Zahid also said that efforts being put to crack down on the sources of open burning and forest fires, which were causing air pollution, were not "enough". "I am aware that Widodo had spoken about clamping down on farmers who are found to engage in open burning, taking stricter enforcement actions, including taking away their licences." He acknowledged, however, that the Indonesian government was concerned and taking steps to resolve the situation. Singapore has planned to initiate legal action against Indonesian firms over the worsening air quality. Shah Alam, Selangor's capital, breached 300 in the air pollutant index reading today, which denotes a "hazardous" level. – October 4, 2015.