DOE monitors bush and peatland fires in Mukah, Daro in Sarawak amid dry spell
KUCHING, Sept 6 — The Department of Environment (DoE) is paying special attention to the fire incidents reported i...
The Department of Environment (DoE) in Sarawak is closely monitoring fire incidents in the bush and peatland areas near Mukah and Daro due to a persistent dry spell. Azuri Azizah Saedon, deputy director-general (Development) of DoE, reported that the fire in Jalan Sibujaya Barat, Mukah, has been largely contained, affecting around nine hectares, but one hectare continues to burn and is being extinguished.
In Sungai Nai, Daro, approximately 2.5 hectares out of three are still ablaze, but the situation is under control according to the Fire and Rescue Services Department. The DoE will continue observing the fire's status and potential impact on air quality, employing drone flights and ground assessments for accurate information. Fire prevention is emphasized, with open burning being an offense under the Environmental Quality (Amendment) Act 2024, punishable by fines ranging from RM25,000 to RM1,000,000, or imprisonment up to five years, or both.
The authorities also urged reporting any fire or open burning to the Fire and Rescue Department or the DoE. Two air quality monitoring stations in Sarawak recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings on September 6, indicating very unhealthy conditions in Kuching (223) and Sri Aman (215). Of the 35 monitoring stations nationwide, ten in Sarawak registered unhealthy API readings.
Meanwhile, ASMC reported 184 hotspots in Kalimantan, 373 in Sumatra, and one in Perak, along with moderate to thick transboundary smoke plumes that affected northern Borneo, Singapore, and southern Peninsular Malaysia.
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
