Asean leaders must seek an opportunity from the worsening haze crisis to tackle the problem at its roots and show the way to sustainable development. The smoke haze and accompanying pollutants that have blanketed several countries in the region is primarily caused by the burning of forest and peatlands on Indonesia's Sumatra island to make way for oil palm plantations.
The practice has been going on for over a decade. Its impacts on both the originating country and its neighbours have worsened each year. The situation is particularly bad now as one report stated the 2015 fires have emitted enough greenhouse gases to rival Germany's annual output of CO2.
Haze pollution respects no boundaries and it has choked people in nearby Singapore and Malaysia and, if the wind blows in a particular direction, in Thailand's southern peninsula as well.
- Latest news: Dangerous haze blankets South
Smoke haze and particulate matter from the fires rose to unsafe levels in the six southern provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala, Songkhla, Satun and Surat Thani yesterday.
Since the smog was blown from elsewhere, there was little the authorities could do to alleviate the haze problem except to advise residents to stay indoors, to wear masks and to hope that the southwestern wind will start to change direction soon and blow the smoke away.
These measures sound desperate and in fact they are. Since there is an agreement at the regional level to tackle this very transnational problem, the fact it has not been put to use to ease the problem brings into question its efficacy, even relevancy.
The Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution was brought into existence when it became clear more than 10 years ago that international cooperation was necessary to curb the air pollution problem caused by forest fires.
The agreement was signed in 2002 and made to be legally binding, a rare quality for the regional bloc well-known for its non-interference policy. As a sign of how it would later suffer in enforcement, the agreement was only ratified by all 10 member nations last year.
The last country to have ratified the agreement was Indonesia, which is considered to be the primary haze producer.
The agreement is advertised on its website as a "global role model for the tackling of transboundary issues", and the "first regional arrangement in the world that binds a group of contiguous states to tackle transboundary haze pollution resulting from land and forest fires".
Several Asean countries continue to be enveloped in the thick haze, with airports and schools closed as more people suffer from respiratory problems.
Yet there has been no mention of the pact that should have prompted Asean member states into action to tackle the problem a long time ago.
It's true that the problem is complex in nature, involving not just a country's forest and agricultural policies and poverty situation but also the global oil palm supply chain and demand for cheap palm oil from major countries like India and China.
Despite the complexity, what remains outstandingly clear is the practice of burning forest areas to grow oil palm is not a sustainable one. It depletes natural resources quickly while generating huge amounts of pollution.
Singapore and the European Union have shown their willingness to assist Indonesia in promoting sustainable palm oil, produced with as little impact as possible on the surrounding environment.
In truth, such an ecological-friendly agricultural trend is the future for Asean. The bloc leaders should use the transboundary agreement to enable a shift to sustainable practices, or see it shrouded in permanent irrelevancy.
