Stop open burning to prevent haze from getting worse, Sarawakians urged

In Sibu, the people have been strongly advised to cease open burning activities to prevent the already hazy situation in the state from worsening. The Natural Resource and Environmental Board (NREB) has stopped issuing permits for open burning, according to Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) director Datuk Khirudin Drahman on Monday (Sept 4). He appealed for public advocacy on this matter.

After officiating the close of auxiliary firefighters’ certification course, Khirudin informed reporters that he had instructed fire chiefs from different zones in the state to actively monitor the situation by “turun padang”. “Yesterday, we received eight calls regarding open burning in Simunjan, and I want fire chiefs from various zones to closely monitor the situation,” he added.

Khirudin also expressed hope for cooperation from the neighbouring country, Indonesia, in ceasing open burning for plantation purposes. He suggested that by freezing the issuance of open burning permits, they could start discussions with Indonesia about following suit. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that Sarawak also had hotspots as there were reported incidents of hotspots in the state that morning.

In previous reports, hazy conditions were observed in parts of Sarawak, with Sri Aman, Kuching, and Serian recording unhealthy air quality on Monday (Sept 4). At 9am, Sri Aman registered the highest air pollutant index (API) reading in the country at 154, followed by Kuching at 133 and Serian at 128. Other parts of Sarawak recorded moderate API readings. API readings below 50 are considered good, while readings between 51 and 100 are moderate, and between 101 and 200 are unhealthy.

Based on satellite imagery from the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC), moderate to dense smoke haze was detected over southern and south-eastern Kalimantan, moving northwest.