Harsher penalties for errant firms to curb haze: Feedback

SINGAPORE — Stiffer penalties need to be imposed on errant companies whose activities outside Singapore cause the skies here to be clouded by haze, feedback on the proposed Transboundary Haze Pollution Bill suggests.

The feedback, collected after a month-long consultation exercise, was released by the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources yesterday. A total of 52 suggestions were put up, the bulk of which came from members of the public, while non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the business sector also gave their input.

Singapore has been affected since 1991 by recurrent haze resulting from land and forest fires in Indonesia, which are caused mainly by land clearing and slash-and-burn agricultural practices.

The Bill was mooted last year, following Singapore’s worst haze episode in June when Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) levels skyrocketed to an unprecedented 401. The first draft of the Bill was put up for public consultation in February this year. Under the draft Bill, errant companies can be fined up to S$300,000 if their activities outside Singapore result in the island being blanketed by unhealthy levels of haze.

If the companies deliberately ignore requests to prevent, reduce or control haze, the fine may be increased to S$450,000.

Feedback from the consultation indicated that the proposed fines were too low and that repeated offences should be further penalised.

Another proposed change is to hold non-land-owning entities who have agreements such as leases, licences or permits with land owners responsible for causing or contributing to transboundary haze.

Meanwhile, concerns were also raised about the effectiveness of the Bill’s enforcement — something Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan noted will be a challenge.

“(One of the) main challenges will be pursuing investigations, getting evidence and presenting that to court. That is why we still need to have effective cooperation with the local agencies in Indonesia,” he told reporters after an Appreciation Session and Dialogue on the Bill.

To that end, Dr Balakrishnan said he was heartened that the Governor of Riau, Mr Annas Maamun, had publicly supported the proposed Bill.

Mr Tan Yi Han, founder of grassroots organisation People’s Movement to Stop Haze, told TODAY the Bill “sends out a powerful message to companies and to neighbouring countries”. He hopes the Bill will push for “greater transparency” on the part of companies.

“Tracing responsibility is difficult because of the lack of transparency,” he said, noting that the companies involved often have complex structures that make issues more complicated.

The Bill will be tabled in Parliament on July 7 and is likely to take effect by the end of the year.

In a Facebook post yesterday, Dr Balakrishnan acknowledged that “legislation is not a panacea that will completely resolve the problem of transboundary haze, but it is a step forward to increase pressure on companies to do the right thing”.