Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar launch haze control initiative

Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar on Tuesday kicked off the “Clear Sky Strategy 2024-2030” to address cross-border haze and air pollution affecting Southeast Asia.

The strategy was introduced during a meeting in Bangkok where Foreign Affairs Minister Maris Sangiampongsa and Natural Resources and Environment Minister Chalermchai Sri-on were joined by their Laotian and Myanmar’s military junta counterparts, Bounkham Vorachit and Khin Maung Yi.

The “Clear Sky Strategy” was developed following the 2022 ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution and an online meeting in April 2023 between Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar on the region's haze crisis. The action plan seeks to tackle pollution sources from industry, transportation, agriculture and forest fires.

As cooler weather approaches, the three neighbours anticipate a resurgence in PM2.5 pollution, a major concern in the region. The strategy is expected to provide coordinated measures to manage this seasonal pollution.

PM2.5 refers to dust particles 2.5 micrometres or less in diameter, long-term exposure to which is linked with chronic diseases including lung and heart problems.

“ASEAN has been working continuously to address haze pollution through agreements and ministerial-level mechanisms. Additionally, we are engaged in discussions with our negotiating partners, with a focus on using innovation to tackle these issues,” said Maris.

For Thailand, addressing cross-border haze pollution, especially PM2.5, is a top priority. The Prime Minister has emphasised the importance of raising public awareness and involving stakeholders and the government is in the process of drafting a Clean Air Act,” he added.

Chalermchai added that the joint efforts of three countries to tackle the haze problem have been going on for more than 10 years, with cooperation from the public and private sectors, as well as civil society.

“The Clear Sky Strategy will help upgrade this cooperation to a joint action plan at the subregional level, expanding the scope of awareness building and leading to sustainable approaches of air pollution prevention,” he said.

Bounkham said the joint action plan covers cooperation on fire control and suppression, the reduction of hotspots, strengthening forecast and monitoring systems, promoting sustainable agricultural management, strengthening law enforcement, and promoting inter-agency coordination.

“The Lao government has taken several measures to address air pollution and wildfires, aiming to improve air quality for its citizens and neighbouring countries. These efforts include environmental protection laws, air quality standards, cleaning technologies, and public awareness campaigns,” she said.

Khin Maung Yi highlighted Myanmar’s efforts in controlling transboundary haze pollution, particularly in Shan State, which borders Thailand and Laos. He said relevant agencies have been collaborating to implement an effective wildfire prevention strategy, promoting sloped agricultural technologies instead of traditional crop rotation, raising awareness, and monitoring air quality and hotspots from wildfires, as well as reporting air quality findings to local communities.

Following the launch ceremony, experts from Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, China, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Bank Group, Deutsche Gesellschaft Für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC) shared their experiences and best practices in a seminar titled “Clear Sky Strategy – Tackling Transboundary Haze Pollution in ASEAN”, and also exchanged views on how promote cooperation among ASEAN member states, dialogue partners, and international organisations on this issue.