Be health-conscious and refrain from open burning — Liew

KOTA KINABALU: Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew has advised the public to be health-conscious and refrain from open burning activities which may be one of the factors that contributed to the prevailing haze in some parts of the state.

She wants the people to exercise caution to prevent the current incidence of bush fires from escalating.

“I was informed that some bushfires could have been caused by the indiscriminate disposal of cigarette butts along roadsides in some areas.

“Do pay heed to the warnings issued by the relevant authorities. Look at the broader picture, and stop burning in the interest of public health,” Liew said in a statement on Thursday.

Based on data from the Fire and Rescue Department, Sabah (Bomba), the minister noted that cumulative figures from Jan 1 until March 13, 2024 indicated that there were 961 cases of fire outbreaks in six zones covering 25 districts and specific areas throughout Sabah.

“These cases involved bush fires, estate/farm fires, forest fires and peat fires,” she said.

Tuaran in Zone 1 recorded the highest number of cases (271), followed by Kota Belud (136) in Zone 3, Kota Kinabalu (90) in Zone 1, Lintas (75) in Zone 1, and Penampang (60) in Zone 1.

Housing developer Datuk Susan Wong reported that it is hazy in Benoni in Papar. As of March 13, 50 cases of bush fires, forest fires, and estate/farm fires have been recorded in the district (Zone 2).

Papar Fire and Rescue Station chief Roslan Osman also urged residents in Papar not to be involved in open burning in the current hot spell to avoid hazardous effects such as unhealthy air quality and haze. Roslan aid that, whether in residential areas or plantations, open burning is hazardous due to the current dry and windy weather conditions, which can cause fires to spread rapidly.

“We know that one of the causes of fires in this district is intentional open burning, but no individuals have been found guilty yet.

“We must avoid open burning to ensure that disasters in this district do not worsen, especially when we are facing water supply problems,” he said.

On Wednesday, due to the hot weather, the District Disaster Management Committee declared a drought emergency in Papar, located about 38 kilometres from Kota Kinabalu.

As of 4pm, Kimanis, an area within Papar, recorded an unhealthy air quality, with an Air Pollution Index reading of 155.

Roslan said 50 fire incidents involving bushes, plantations, forests, and peatlands were recorded in the district from January until yesterday.

He urged the residents to clear the bushes around their residential areas to prevent them from catching fire while advising drivers not to discard cigarette butts indiscriminately because cigarette butts have been identified as contributing to fire incidents.