Singapore: Jambi air quality and weather monitoring collaboration 'successful'

Singapore's handover of three air quality and weather monitoring stations to the provincial government of Jambi was a positive step for both countries, according to one Singaporean minister.

In a speech at the handover ceremony between the two governments, minister for the environment and water resources Dr Yaacob Ibrahim said that he was "very pleased" to able to witness the official takeover of Singapore's air quality and weather monitoring stations by the country's Indonesian counterparts in Jambi Province.

Ibrahim spoke of the seven action programmes that Singapore and Jambi jointly developed with a view to preventing and mitigating land and forest fires under the Indonesian Plan of Action.

Urging government officials to continue their close cooperation with one another, he said: "All of us are aware of the economic, health and social repercussions, not to mention the financial effects such as loss of tourism receipts, increase in health costs and environmental pollution costs, if a severe haze episode were to strike us again."

Meanwhile, air quality in Hong Kong has markedly deteriorated over the last four years, according to government figures.

Written by Joseph Hutton