Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad revealed that the government has received 1,043 complaints about open burning in the first three weeks of the year. The majority of these reports, totaling 715 cases, were related to the burning of garbage. In response, the Environment Department has taken action, including issuing 79 field citations, five compound notices, and 12 order notices, as well as conducting 666 observations.
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In addition, two significant cases of large-scale fires were reported, one involving a forest reserve in Kuala Penyu district in Sabah, and the other affecting farmland in Chuping, Perlis.
In light of these figures, Nik Nazmi called for relevant ministries, departments, agencies, and state governments to remain vigilant and responsive to changes in the country’s weather and air quality.
“They (are urged to) take action as outlined in the National Haze Action Plan based on warning levels and air pollutant index (API) readings,” he said after leading the National Haze and Dry Weather committee meeting in Putrajaya on Thursday (Feb 22).
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Nik Nazmi stressed the importance of readiness in implementing immediate and operational large-scale fire suppression or cloud seeding, subject to appropriate atmospheric conditions. He also emphasized on the collaboration between various ministries, departments, agencies, and state governments in addressing illegal landfill fires and improving forest and brush fire prevention measures, to combat local haze and protect air quality.
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Highlighting the current phase of the northeast monsoon, which is expected to last until the end of March, Nik Nazmi warned of hot and dry conditions due to reduced rain distribution. Furthermore, he noted the El Nino phenomenon, expected to last until the second quarter, would lead to higher than usual daily maximum temperatures in the country.
