Kota Kinabalu: The State Department of Environment is stepping up enforcement and daily patrols against open burning.
Its Director Nor Rashidah Mohd Ghazali said the Department is on standby to increase enforcement and daily patrols in areas prone to open burning amid the hot and dry weather, while continuing to monitor index readings around the clock.
She said 474 patrols under the Open Burning Prevention Operation had been carried out so far.
She said the deterioration in air quality was caused by transboundary haze originating from forest and peat fires in Kalimantan, with thick smoke carried across to Borneo, including Sabah, by prevailing winds.
She said the fire that razed 202 stilt houses here early Sunday also contributed to the decline in local air quality, though no other major fires were reported around the city by the Fire and Rescue Department.
Citing a report from the Singapore based Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) dated Tuesday, she said satellite imagery from the NOAA 20 satellite had earlier detected two hotspots in Tuaran and Kota Belud, both in areas of scrubland, but the fires there had since been fully extinguished.
She said schools, kindergartens and nurseries would be ordered to close immediately once the index reaches 200.
She advised the public to check hourly index readings on the Department’s website at apims.doe.gov.my or through the official MyIPU mobile application, and to refer to the Health Ministry’s website for health advice and preventive measures during the haze.
She reminded the public not to carry out open burning or allow their land or premises to be encroached upon by irresponsible parties for burning purposes, whether intentional or otherwise.
She said under Section 29A of the Environmental Quality Act 1974, those convicted of open burning offences could be fined between RM25,000 and RM1,000,000, jailed for up to five years, or both, while a compound of up to RM2,000 or RM500,000 could also be imposed.
She urged the public to help put out small fires and to report open burning or fire incidents to the Fire and Rescue Department at 999 or to the department’s toll-free line at 1-800-88-2727.
