The Star 20 Jun 13;
PETALING JAYA: The Department of Environment (DOE) has declared the whole of Selangor, Malacca and Johor as strictly “no open burning” zones with immediate effect.
DOE director-general Datuk Halimah Hassan said the exceptions were for cremation, grill/barbeque, flaring and religious purposes.
She said the ban was issued under Section 29(A) of the Environmental Quality Act and would be lifted when the deteriorating air quality in the regions had returned to normal.
“Those found guilty can be fined up to RM500,000, jailed for up to five years or both,” she said in a statement.
“They can also incur a maximum compound of RM2,000 for each violation.”
Halimah urged owners of open land to stop “irresponsible parties” from encroaching into their premises to conduct open burning.
Seven towns in Peninsular Malaysia recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index readings as at 5pm yesterday.
They are Banting, Selangor (114), Bukit Rambai, Negri Sembilan (118), Malacca City, Malacca (161), Muar, Johor (172), Larkin Lama, Johor (152), Pasir Gudang, Johor (168) and Kota Tinggi, Johor (166).
Under the API, readings of between 0 and 50 are classified as Good, 51 to 100 as Moderate, 101 to 200 as Unhealthy, 201 to 300 as Very Unhealthy and 300 and above as Hazardous.
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported that the haze here was the worst since 2005 while neighbouring Singapore was experiencing its worst air pollution level in 16 years.
The paper wrote that the haze, blown in from fires in Sumatra, was prompting regional officials to press Indonesia for urgent action.
The DOE encouraged people to lodge reports on instances of open burning to the Fire and Rescue Department.
They can call 03-88880336 or the DOE at 03-88891972.
East coast hit by the haze, too
The Star 20 Jun 13;
KEMAMAN: The pristine view surrounding the beach town of Kijal was spoilt, for once, by hazy skies.
The famed blue skies were blocked by the thick haze blown over by winds from Sumatra in Indonesia.
Fortunately, it was not for long.
Kijal is in the district of Kemaman, which recorded an API reading of 121 on Sunday, one of the worst in the country.
“The API in Kemaman has improved with an 80 reading, no longer within the “unhealthy” zone.
“Based on the trend, we believe it will be better over the next few days,” a Department of Environment spokesman said.
A local angler took his rod out yesterday to fish at a jetty in Kijal as the skyline showed a dominant blue colour.
“During the weekend, I could not spot boats far out and even some of the resort buildings near here were shrouded by the haze,” said the angler, who is from nearby Kerteh.
Other locals also found it strange for Terengganu to be hit by the haze.
“I am just glad the skies are clear again,” said a villager.
6 days to put out peat fire
New Straits Times 20 Jun 13;
KUALA LUMPUR: The peat fire that broke out in the North-South Expressway Central Link (Elite Highway) on Friday has been put out by the Selangor South Zone Fire and Rescue Department.
Its deputy commander (operations), Mohd Haikal Md Kasri, said the fire, which had spread to almost 36ha of the forest reserve, took six days to be put out.
He said the Department of Environment (DoE) was investigating the cause of fire.
Preliminary investigations showed that the haze could not have been the main factor.
"This is because other states that recorded a higher Air Pollutant Index, like Malacca and Johor, did not experience similar situations.
"However, we are waiting for the final report from the DoE," said Haikal.
He added that the Forestry Department would initiate plans to plant trees to replenish the burnt forest.
"The department will move in soon to start re-planting."
Saujana Putra in Dengkil, a residential area 6km away from the fire, was not affected by the incident.
Dept set to fight peat fires
Nicholas Cheng The Star 20 Jun 13;
PUTRAJAYA: Water relay pumping systems and jet shooters, bumby bucket or water bombing from helicopters are among the measures listed in a new standard operating procedure (SOP) drawn up to fight forest, bush and peat soil fires.
The SOP details the working strategies for different departments in handling fires at the district, state and national levels.
“We will use helicopters and water bombing to put out forest fires that are too deep to reach,” said Fire and Rescue Department deputy director-general Datuk Soiman Jahid.
“We have already done course training with our officers,” he said at his office yesterday.
“Our vehicles and equipment have been readied and we also held meetings with different agencies to make sure everyone knows what they need to do. We’re all prepared.”
Soiman added that the department would also launch a 24-hour operations room dedicated to fighting fires when the need arises.
Soiman said the department had extinguished six peat soil fires in Selangor recently.
According to its statistics, there were 611 forest fires in the first two weeks of June, almost double the number in May.
The department has identified 14 high-risk areas susceptible to fires during the four-month westerly monsoon season beginning in early June.
They include the Selangor Agricultural Development Corporation land and Raja Musa forest reserve in Bestari Jaya, Johan Setia in Andalas, Pulau Kempas in Banting, Parit Haji Dorani and Sungai Panjang in Sungai Besar and Kuala Langat forest reserve in Dengkil.
The others are Jalan Miri to Kuala Baram in Sarawak, Kampung Luagan, Kampung Lumat and Kampung Nukahan in Beaufort and Binsuluk forest reserve in Kuala Penyu, Sabah, Kampung Krupal in Rompin, Pahang, and Gunung Besout in Slim River, Perak.
‘Don’t go out to Straits of Malacca at night’
The Star 20 Jun 13;
MUAR: Marine police here have warned all barter-trading vessels plying the Straits of Malacca to refrain from navigating the waterway at night due to the haze.
Its chief Asst Supt Nordin Osman said the stretch of the straits between Pontian and Malacca was covered in “very thick haze”.
He said the condition could worsen in the next few days due to the westerly monsoon season.
“This would push the haze from Sumatra to the peninsula,” he warned.
The sea and coastal areas here were covered in thick haze until about 11am yesterday.
“The visibility was very low this (yesterday) morning and motorists had to switch on their headlights when travelling along several roads here,” he said.
ASP Nordin, who joined a team in a patrol boat to check the haze at the Muar estuary, said the morning air was also filled with the smell of burning wood.
He said one barter-trading vessel from Rupat in Sumatra, which was headed for Batu Pahat yesterday, had to stop at the estuary here as the crew could not see their way.
He added that the bad weather was expected to continue if there was no heavy rain in the next few days.
“I urge all vessels to navigate the Straits of Malacca carefully.”
