This commentary discusses the importance of preventive and preparedness actions and inclusive participatory collaboration with all stakeholders to sustain the efforts of a transboundary haze-free ASEAN beyond 2020.

To sustain the efforts of a transboundary haze-free ASEAN, it is important to remain vigilant and be prepared early enough to prevent any occurrence of fires. This calls for better early warning systems and swift deployment of fire-fighting resources even before the fires starts.

In the longer term, preventive activities should be intensified, through effective collaboration with various stakeholders at the local, national and international levels.

… Raman Letchumanan is a Senior Fellow with the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University. The views expressed here are strictly his own. Dr Raman was the person-in-charge of fire and haze issues, among others, at the ASEAN Secretariat from 2000-2014, and prior to that in the Malaysian Government. This is part of a new series on the haze issue.