Since 1997, the region has been blanketed in thick smoke from burning peat forest on an annual basis. The haze, as we have experience it, is not merely a health risk, disruptive to daily life but has had costs for the economy as well. This is true for Indonesians too. The cause of the problem is clear: plantations in Kalimantan and Sumatra which burn forests to clear the land. While ASEAN-level transboundary pollution control initiatives have been discussed its been of little effect. Today we look at how Indonesia is handling the haze and Malaysia’s contribution to mitigate the worst of its effects locally.

This is a report by Wan Irdina binti Mohd Fizlie.