‘Stop open burning in current dry spell’

Hot, dry winds and open burning are creating unseasonably fierce bushfires ravaging large parts of Sabah with firemen battling an average of 40 open burning cases daily.

KOTA KINABALU: Firemen in the state are battling an average of 40 open burning cases and bushfires daily due to the dry spell, said Sabah Fire and Rescue Department operations centre officer Mohd Hasbi Hajat.

He said that such cases had tripled since January and measures must be put in place to keep the situation in check.

“I hope people will stop open burning as this only makes the situation worse,” he said.

Mohd Hasbi said that the districts with the highest number of bushfires and open burning cases are Tuaran with 103 cases, followed by Keningau (64), Penampang (55), Kota Kinabalu (54), Papar (46), Tawau (44), and Kota Belud and Sandakan (42 each).

He said that in January, they recorded 219 cases, which increased to 537 in February and 677 up to yesterday.

“From the latest statistics, 374 are bushfires while 231 are forest fires,” he said, adding that the other cases involved fires at plantations, padi fields and rubbish dumps.

He said that there was also an increase in fires destroying structures such as houses and commercial buildings.

In the latest case at a water village in Kampung Air Sandakan yesterday, over 30 houses were destroyed and one man was injured in the 5.30am incident.

Mohd Hasbi said that the challenges faced by firemen in responding to these cases include the difficulty in accessing higher ground, lack of or no water supply due to the absence of fire hydrants and no open water sources from lakes, rivers or drains due to the dry spell.

Sabah Health and People’s Wellbeing Minister Datuk Stephen Wong urged the public to refrain from open burning and to keep themselves hydrated.

“We must do all we can to minimise health hazards,” he said, adding that people should reduce outdoor activities as well.

He said that though there has been an improvement in the air quality and haze situation, it could get worse if preventive measures are not taken.

“We have sent reminders to all districts, instructing them to keep a close watch on illnesses or cases that are related to the hot weather,” Wong said.

A check on the Department of Environment website showed that the Air Pollutant Index reading for Sabah is at a moderate level of between 52 and 84 as of 1.30pm yesterday.