PM2.5 returns again this year, with a critical surge reported in the capital city. Even so, there is a reason for people to be optimistic as the government is determined to have the much-awaited clean air legislation drawn up next year.
The cabinet just approved the draft of the clean air legislation this month. Now, the final draft is being vetted by the Council of State and is set to be read in the parliament early next year. Without any hiccups or filibustering, the country's first clear air legislation will become active sometime next year.
So far, the contents of the draft look promising as it has a clear strategy to tackle PM2.5 at the commercial supply chain level. One target of this law is business operators, such as farm companies and farmers, who have been accused of setting fires to clear farm waste.
The clear air legislation will pave the way for forming a national steering committee to make sure that tens of ministries and bodies that once worked in a silo culture are on same page. This PM2.5 national committee will create and oversee mechanisms to control sources of PM2.5, including economic tools for lucrative investment to reduce haze pollution and improve air quality reporting.
For example, the national committee will work with the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to introduce Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) to promote zero-burning farm products across the supply chains. The Ministry of Commerce will ban the import of any products from the neighbouring countries, namely Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, that are linked to deforestation and forest fires.
The clear air bill has received the full support of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin. Mr Srettha even publicly said in a forum this week that companies that import corn from farmers in Laos who set fire to their farmland after harvesting will be taxed. The money, he said, will be used to fund the "Stop Wildfire" project to support farmers who do not burn their farmland after harvesting.
The government's commitment to solving the PM2.5 problem is inspiring. It is hoped that such a fervent commitment is not just another form of lip service.
Lest one forgets, the Prayut government in 2019 issued the national master plan to tackle PM2.5 -- part of its "war against PM2.5", which ranked high on the national agenda at the time.
The master plan was very convincing. It provided goals and action plans in the short, middle and long terms. It must be said that the former government also formed a national committee to address PM2.5 and approved a budget for satellite map projects.
Yet only a few of those promises transpire into meaningful developments. Even worse, important plans face resistance from the business sector. For instance, the plan to ban trucks from entering the capital never got implemented because logistic operators constantly protested.
The plan to introduce low-sulphur diesel fuel that meets Euro 5 emissions standard by 2021 and Euro 6 by 2023 was delayed after companies asked to delay the required upgrades to their refineries during the pandemic. The low-sulphur diesel fuel that meets the Euro 5 standard will only be available on the market from Jan 1, two years behind schedule.
Despite lingering doubts, it is good to see the government being so keen to pass the clean air legislation. After this bill becomes law, it will be time for Mr Srettha to show he has enough political will to bring about change.