The Star 22 Feb 10;
KOTA KINABALU: The dry spell in the state that has triggered numerous farm and bush fires is expected to last for another two to three months.
Sabah Meteorological Department director Abdul Malik Tusin said the dry spell was a result of the tail end of the north-east monsoon that usually begins in November and ends by March.
“I expect this dry conditions to continue until April,” he said, adding that the monsoon always brought heavy rains in December and January, causing Sabah to be hit by severe flooding.
“This month, we have recorded only 0.4mm of rainfall as compared to 210mm in January,” he said.
He said the dry spell was also caused by the El Nino phenomenon that is being felt globally since June last year.
Malik urged the public to heed warnings issued by the Sabah Forestry and the Department of Environment to stop any form of open burning and other activities that could cause the spread of forest or bush fires.
Since late last week, thousands of hectares of farmlands and forests have been destroyed by fire.Kuala Penyu and Beaufort districts in Sabah west coast were among the worst hit where an estimated 2,428ha of farmland cultivated with rubber, oil palm and pineapples have been destroyed or still burning since last week.
Fires have also swept through some 100ha within the 12,000ha Binsulok Forest Reserve.
