KUCHING: Sarawak’s recurring haze season could become a concern when major international sporting events are held in the region.
Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, said the timing was particularly relevant as the SEA Games and other major sporting events are usually held around the same period as haze occurs.
“The haze that we are worried about in this Nusantara area, in the Southeast Asia region, usually happens in the months of August and September.
“This is usually the time when haze appears and that is also when we want to hold the SEA Games and other games, usually around that time,” he said during a press conference at Sarawak Stadium today.
Abdul Karim said this year’s haze had been intermittent, but could become a significant issue when an international sporting event is taking place.
“This year, we can see the haze is quite bad. Sometimes it’s here, sometimes it disappears, but can you imagine when we have a big international sporting event, suddenly we are faced with that?
“We don’t want it to be an annual problem. But touch wood, I hope – that’s why it has to be addressed,” he said.
Abdul Karim stressed that the issue required intervention at the national level as it involved neighbouring countries, rather than being something Sarawak could resolve on its own.
“It has to be the central government. They have to go on that level so that we will not be facing it every year,” he said.
