New Straits Times 8 Aug 13;
SHAH ALAM: The Selangor Fire and Rescue Department has been struggling to put out peat fires at several areas in the state since Aug 8.
The department's operations assistant director, Mohamad Sani Harul, said the department receives 30 to 40 calls a day.
"We regret that most of the fires were started by irresponsible individuals. In some areas, we found that local residents started the fire themselves in order to clear their farm land."
A check around Shah Alam and the North-South Expressway Central Link (Elite Highway) yesterday revealed signs of haze, which limited the vision of road users.
Mohamad Sani said the department had to freeze the leave of the state's firemen during Hari Raya as they had to be deployed to fight fires at Bestari Jaya, Kuala Selangor and Pulau Kempas, Banting.
He explained that sufficient manpower was necessary as peat fires took a long time to be extinguished, and the ground had to be dug up to ensure the fire was really out.
He said the department had been working together with the Environmental Department, Public Defence Department, Forestry Department and various local councils to tackle the problem.
Regarding prosecution of those who started fires, Mohamad Sani said the Environmental Department had the jurisdiction to do so.
As of 3pm yesterday, the air pollutant index (API) in Kuala Selangor stood at 47, Shah Alam (54), Banting (56), while Putrajaya recorded an API level of 97.
