Mekong Sub-region fights haze pollution

March 1, 2012

Hanoi (VNA) – Representatives from Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam and the ASEAN Secretariat gathered in Hanoi on Feb 29 at the second Meeting of the Sub-regional Ministerial Steering Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution in the Mekong Sub-region.

Addressing the meeting, Ha Cong Tuan, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Administration of Forestry, said there are more and more droughts and natural disasters as a result of climate change.

Tuan highlighted the significant role played by forests in coping with climate change and stressed the need for Mekong Sub-region countries, especially Vietnam, to enhance their comprehensive cooperation in forest protection and development.

In past years, Vietnam has channelled great efforts into protecting and developing forests under the Four on-the-spot motto: human resources on the spot, leadership on the spot, logistics on the spot and materials on the spot, as well as mobilising the entire society’s involvement in forest fire prevention and control.

Thanks to those efforts, the area of forest has increased remarkably, the number of land and forest fire cases has reduced and the coverage of forest has reached about 40 percent, contributing to cutting haze pollution.

Vietnam plans to engage in administrative reform and increase human resources in forest protection, development and fire control while raising the coverage of forest to 45 percent.

Nguyen Huu Dung, Head of the Vietnam Forest Management Department, said Mekong Sub-region countries have adopted national plans of action to control smoke haze during dry seasons.

He highlighted Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam as bright examples in this field.

The regional countries have also coordinated in managing smoke haze and fire, sharing information in building a forest fire warning system in the region and classifying risk levels of fire.
As a result, targets of fire and smoke haze control in the Mekong Sub-region have basically been fulfilled, with the number of forest fire hot spots dropping from 87,000 in 2009 to 78,321 in 2011.

Delegates at the meeting discussed and exchanged initiatives in mitigating land and forest fire and controlling haze pollution during this year’s dry season.

They agreed to promptly set up a fire warning system in the region and make every effort to keep the maximum number of forest fire hot spots at 50,000.

The ASEAN Secretariat informed the meeting about the implementation of cooperative projects with international partners, including a project on restoration and sustainable use of peat soil in Southeast Asia financed by the Global Environmental Fund, to reduce risks of fire and smoke haze pollution. (VNA)