Of course, sometimes government orders mean nothing. Consider the haze, the billowing smoke and ash from forest fires in Indonesia that two years ago fouled air as far as Singapore and Malaysia. Instead of torching old forests for planting or logging, the clearing is supposed to be done with labor and machinery. Still, the haze has had two positive effects. It brought the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations together to fight a pollution issue.
Water supplies are also highly vulnerable to pollution.
Though millions more people in Asia now have access to safe water and adequate sanitation than 15 years ago, water shortages routinely blight Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila and New Delhi. Environmentalists believe better management of water resources will help alleviate the shortages. Instead of building dams and canals, they say, governments should encourage conservation techniques such as gathering of rainwater and run-off during the monsoons. Thailand already has differential taxation that encourages the use of four-stroke engines. The courts can help the anti-pollution crusade, but the process is slow.