Residents fume over open burning at Bukit Tabur

A SERIES of open burning that have taken place on Bukit Tabur have incensed Taman Melawati residents in Hulu Klang.

Resident Lim Soon Ann said the fires have been going on for months. The latest incident, recorded in the late evening of July 2, was a seven-second clip, showing bright red orange flames at the west side of Bukit Tabur. Despite the falling evening light, they were visible enough from the junction of Jalan H1 and Jalan H15, more or less 1km away by Lim’s rough estimate.

Expressing concern that such activities are taking place so near the Klang Gates Dam, which is within a permanent forest reserve, Lim said the latest clip was the last straw for residents.

“The open burning IS happening too near a water catchment area. It is also upsetting the wildlife. We have found dead langurs near residential areas. We believe that the open fires have caused them to flee and in the process, they were attacked by bigger animals,” he said.

Residents are also concerned about the frequency of these open burning. There is speculation that unchecked clearing may be ongoing which may lead to disaster.

Taman Melawati Residents' Association chairman Azhari Abd Taharim, who had made a site visit a day before the latest video recording on July 2, said he had met with some workers who had initially given him a verbal agreement not to carry out any open burning.

He expressed disappointment that not only did the parties responsible refuse to cooperate, but claimed that they had permission from the authorities to carry on with open burning activities.

“We know that this is not the case as open burning is prohibited by law,” said Azhari.

To deal with the matter, Azhari said the association has lodged complaints against the responsible parties with the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) and the Gombak branch of the Environment Department (DOE).

In response to residents’ complaints, an official statement issued by MPAJ press relations officer Norhayati Ahmad said that the council had received a complaint from the association on July 4.

Before this, an earlier complaint on the same issue was traced back to May 7 this year.

Following this, a joint investigation was carried out with the Forestry Department, Gombak DOE and MPAJ’s Health and Environment Department.

In the statement, the open burning was found to have originated from a farm located near the Bukit Tabur area. The ongoing open burning was a direct result of clearing activities carried out by the farm operator.

MPAJ’s Enforcement Department has issued a Form B notice, under Section 82 of the Local Government Act, 1976, to the farm operator for the offence of open burning.

The statement also said that continuous monitoring will be carried out to ensure the operator complies with the council’s notice and that recurrences of open burning will cease to be a nuisance to residents in the future.