DOE monitors bush and peatland fires in Mukah, Daro in Sarawak amid dry spell

The Department of Environment (DoE) in Sarawak is closely monitoring fire incidents in bush and peatland areas near Mukah and Daro due to the ongoing dry spell. Deputy Director-General Azuri Azizah Saedon reported that the fire in Jalan Sibujaya Barat had been mostly controlled, covering nine hectares, but one hectare still remains unextinguished.

In Sungai Nai, approximately 2.5 hectares are still burning, though the situation is reportedly under control. Fires in vegetation and peatland can produce smoke and pollutants that affect air quality. The DoE will continue to monitor the situation, including conducting drone flights to assess the fire status and affected area. Air quality monitoring and follow-up actions will be taken based on the ground situation and DoE assessments, in compliance with the Environmental Quality (Amendment) Act 2024.

The Act imposes fines ranging from RM25,000 to RM1,000,000, or imprisonment of up to five years, or both for open burning. As of Sunday, two air quality monitoring stations recorded very unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings in Kuching (223) and Sri Aman (215), with ten of the 35 locations across the country registering unhealthy API readings in Sarawak.

Moderate to thick transboundary smoke plumes were also observed in northern Borneo, and moderate haze was noted in Singapore and southern Peninsular Malaysia.