Malaysia: Idle land contributing to peat fires will be confiscated immediately

Elan Perumal The Star 16 Aug 12;

LAND belonging to those caught committing open burning and left idle at Kampung Johan Setia in Klang will be confiscated.

The Selangor State Executive Council made this decision during its weekly meeting yesterday, in a drastic move to put an end to peat fires in the area.

State Tourism, Consumer Affairs and Environment Committee chairman Elizabeth Wong said the state was left with not much option but to act tough against the errant land owners.

Wong said the state had been empowered to do so under the National Land Code which provided it with the clout to confiscate land allocated to individuals but left idle.

She said they had also ordered the Klang District Land Office to take action with immediate effect.

“It is state land and was awarded to the individuals about 10 years ago for cultivation.

“There are 500 landowners with a total of 600ha in Johan Setia,’’ she said.

Wong said a state-level task force had been formed to identify idle land and speed up the confiscation process.

Wong said this was because the land owners had also indirectly contributed to the rampant peat fires in the area and the worsening air pollution.

She added that observations revealed that uncultivated and idle land were prone to peat fires.

“Sometimes, the fire also spreads to other areas, including those with crops.

“This is not fair to the landowners who are occupying or cultivating their plots,’’ she said.

Wong said some of the landowners were not even aware of the fire on their land until they faced legal action.

“Under the circumstances, it is important that the state takes drastic measures to resolve the peat fire problem,’’ she said.

Wong added that the irresponsible action of the landowners had also caused the state losses amounting to millions of ringgit in putting out the fires and conducting prevention programmes.

Temporary dams use to control peat fires
The Star 16 Aug 12;

FIVE check dams have been built in Kampung Johan Setia, Klang, to control peat fires in the area. The strategically-located dams will help prevent the fires from spreading.

State Tourism, Consumer Affairs and Environment Committee chairman Elizabeth Wong said the efforts by the state government had worked well to keep peat fires under control.

“We found that the many drains built by farmers in the area for cultivation of various crops had resulted in water being drained away, causing dryness in the area.”

Wong also said the state had deployed 28 personnel including firemen and Klang Municipal Council workers to the area since June and were working hard to put out and control the fires in Johan Setia.

She said they were monitoring the situation round-the-clock and those with information on fresh fires could contact the Fire and Rescue Services Department.

Wong said they were also in the process of getting Rela personnel as reinforcement for the existing firemen and council staff.

She said officers from the state Environment Department were monitoring the situation and carrying out enforcement measures.

“Their presence has helped to deter villagers from carrying out open burning,” she said, adding that legal action had been taken against some errant farmers.

Wong said the smoke from peat fires in Johan Setia combined with the haze caused by fires in Sumatra, Indonesia had worsened the quality of air in Bandar Puteri, Bandar Parklands, Bandar Botanic and Bandar Bukit Tinggi.

She said Klang had been put under red alert due to the condition in Johan Setia where API reading averaged around 70.

She added that other badly affected areas in Selangor were Kuala Langat, Hulu Selangor and Kuala Selangor.