Singapore has proposed sweeping changes to its Transboundary Haze Pollution Act after a severe wildfire season in Indonesia shrouded the city-state in smog for weeks.
Sustainability and Environment Minister Grace Fu told Parliament on Nov 4 that the status quo was not tenable. The amendment bill, introduced under a Certificate of Urgency so the new powers can take effect while investigations into the recent haze continue, would raise the maximum fine for causing or contributing to haze-related fires to S$1 million a day, from S$100,000, and the overall cap to S$20 million (about RM63 million), from S$2 million. The changes would also allow arrests to be made in Singapore.
The minister would be able to designate firms and individuals that have been convicted, are suspected of an offence or have failed to comply with notices or directions. Others could then be barred from buying from or selling goods to them, or from giving them loans or other financial support, with restrictions on financial services administered by the minister in charge of the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
Companies would also find it harder to escape liability. They would have to prove that a fire was started by someone else without their knowledge and that they took reasonable steps to prevent and fight it. The National Environment Agency (NEA) could seek a civil penalty of up to S$10 million with the Public Prosecutor’s consent, court proceedings could continue without the accused in certain circumstances, and NEA could publish lists of entities that ignore its notices.
Fu said the changes would not guarantee successful prosecutions and that legislation alone would not solve the haze problem. Singapore enacted the law in 2014 but had difficulty obtaining information from Indonesian authorities when it tried to enforce it during a severe haze episode in 2015. The two countries recently announced a joint task force to tackle errant firms.
Fires in Indonesia, often linked to land clearing for agriculture, have sent smoke across the region in recent months, at times pushing Singapore’s air quality to very unhealthy levels. The haze also reached Malaysia and the Philippines, forcing school closures. A strong El Nino prolonged this year’s dry season, though more rain has recently improved air quality.