MetMalaysia: Open burning during hot spell cause of local haze

KUALA LUMPUR: Several areas in the country are experiencing “local haze” which, among others, results from opening burning, especially during the current hot weather, said Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) deputy director-general (Strategic & Technical) Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip.

He said the lack of rainfall and open burning activities contributed to the unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API), thus causing haze.

“It definitely has a connection (with the hot weather). We do not plant enough (trees) and there are way too many open burning activities to clear farms. So all these cause the local haze,” he said yesterday.

Hisham denied that the cause of the pollution was from a neighbouring country.

He said the Department of Environment had reported that fires had occurred in forest reserves.

As such, he advised the public not to carry out open burning, cut down on outdoor activities and to drink sufficient amount of water.

Previously, MetMalaysia announced that the country was in the final phase of the North-East Monsoon, which is expected to last until the middle of this month, with low rainfall distribution in Peninsular Malaysia, particularly in the northern states.

However, MetMalaysia does not foresee any extraordinary hot weather in the country this year.

Based on the API yesterday morning, three areas in Selangor recorded unhealthy readings, with the API for Johan Setia, Klang at 183, followed by Banting (165) and Petaling Jaya (141).

In Kuala Langat, the fire at Compartment 15 of the Kuala Langat Selatan Forest Reserve here, which was first detected on Monday, has now spread to more than 40ha due to the hot, dry and windy weather.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) director Norazam Khamis said the state government had obtained assistance from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) to carry out “water bombing” using a Bombardier CL-415 aircraft to speed up the firefighting work.

He said the use of water-bombing techniques was carried out at 2pm, and was believed to have sped up the extinguishing process by between two and three weeks from the expected time of four to six weeks previously.

“We have extinguished an area of 6.07ha since yesterday (Monday), and efforts have been made to extinguish the source of the fire from which it continues to spread to other parts near the forest,” he told reporters during a visit to the area yesterday.

He said 180 personnel from various agencies were assigned to put out the fire. These included 120 firefighters, 30 people from the Forestry Department and seven people from the MMEA.

Meanwhile, in Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu Fire and Rescue Department director Md Hilman Abd Rashid cautioned farmers and plantation owners against carrying out open burning in the current weather conditions.

He said 20 fire hotspots had been detected in the state at risk of being sites for major fires.

They include Ladang Tebung Haji Lembah Bidong, Setiu; Kampung Pengkalan Jering, Dungun; Kampung Meraga Beris, Kemaman and Kampung Batu 7 in Dungun, he told reporters here yesterday.