Yong calls for long-term peatland strategy to curb haze

A comprehensive, science-based, long-term peatland management strategy with clear targets, timelines and designated agencies is needed to strengthen fire prevention and reduce the risk of haze in Sarawak, said Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong.

She said Sarawak had the largest peatland resource in Malaysia, making proper management and protection of these areas essential to safeguarding public health and the environment.

Yong said haze and peat fires affected the health and lives of Sarawakians, adding that the state must take proactive measures to prevent peat fires locally even when much of the haze originated from outside Sarawak.

She said existing peatland management guidelines and fire monitoring measures must translate into effective action on the ground rather than remain policies and monitoring systems on paper.

“Having guidelines and monitoring systems on paper is not enough. What matters is whether they are working on the ground,” she said when debating the Supply (2027) Bill, 2026 during the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Sitting today (Oct 15).

Yong called for greater accountability in peatland management, including reporting on the extent of degraded peatland restored, the frequency of monitoring in high-risk areas, the response time for hotspot investigations and enforcement action taken against illegal open burning.

She stressed that peatland protection involved more than preventing fires, as it also required maintaining proper water levels, restoring damaged areas and preventing further degradation.

Healthy peat swamp forests, she said, were valuable ecosystems that stored carbon, protected biodiversity, helped regulate water and reduced the risk of fires.

Yong also urged greater consideration of peatland conditions in land-use planning, warning that excessive drainage could dry out peatlands and make them more vulnerable to fires.

She said development projects should not proceed without proper consideration of the environmental risks associated with peatland degradation.

“Economic development must not come at the expense of our environment and the health of our people,” she said.