Operation at Pulau Burung landfill expected to last beyond festive period

Scorched earth: An aerial view showing the Pulau Burung landfill on fire at Ladang Byram in Nibong Tebal.

NIBONG TEBAL: There seems to be no end in sight to the peat fire at Pulau Burung landfill, as firemen are still battling it on the ground and expected it to smoulder beyond the festive period.

Penang environment and welfare committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said the government had thought the fire, which first broke out on Jan 12, could be completely put out in three weeks.

“But it looks like we may have to extend the operation for another week, with firemen having to be on standby during the festive period.

“We thought we could put out the fire in three weeks but water shortage has thrown a spanner in the works.

“Plus, it is very hard to predict the peat fire situation,” he said when contacted.

Feb 1 is the first day of the Lunar New Year.

In a statement, the South Seberang Prai District Disaster Management Committee said firemen have put out 65% of the fire which affected 28 acres (11.3ha) of the landfill as of yesterday.

The fire fighting operation has been divided into five sectors, with the fire in sectors 1, 2 and 4 having been successfully put out.

All three sites are currently under observation for any outbreak.

As for sectors 3 and 5, several methods are still being used to keep the fire in check.

On the 17th day of firefighting operations yesterday, Phee said much of the fire had been brought under control but there were still peat fires burning underneath the landfill.He said the operation involved five water jets from Fixed Monitors and a nozzle from the High Performance Pump Module (HPPM).

He said the landfill operator and Malaysia Civil Defence Force also helped out in the operation by using six water pumps.

“The state Fire and Rescue Department is monitoring sectors 1 and 2 of the landfill.

“They are equipped with two water jets from Fixed Monitors and three plain nozzles from HPPM and fire break operations are also conducted using earth reclamation on the peat fire.

“The Seberang Prai City Council and other relevant agencies are also assisting,” he said.

Phee said the state government has put forward a contingency plan in an effort to expedite the operation.

A state Fire and Rescue Department spokesperson said there would be no break for firefighters at Pulau Burung landfill as the operation would still be carried out during the festive holidays.

Meanwhile, state Department of Environment director Sharifah Zakiah Syed Sahab said DOE was still monitoring air quality around the disaster area.

As at 3pm yesterday, the Air Pollutant Index (API) at Ladang Byram in Nibong Tebal was 96.

In the API readings, smaller numbers indicate better air quality.

Good air quality is between 0 and 50 in the API, while moderate levels are between 51 and 100.

Unhealthy readings are between 101 and 200, very unhealthy is from 201 to 300 and hazardous levels are above 300.

The Pulau Burung landfill was declared a level one disaster area based on the National Security Council No. 20 directive after the fire there polluted the surrounding area and posed a risk to health.