KOTA KINABALU: Farm owners and smallholders who deliberately set fires to clear land, are believed to be one of the causes of open burning incidents in seven locations in Sabah, according to the Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad.
He said that the department and relevant parties were still working hard to put out the fires in the affected areas, and he had instructed the department's Mi17 helicopter based in Miri, Sarawak, to help with fire-fighting, using the water bombing method.
The areas involved are Bukit Pulau Gaya, Telipok, Kampung Simpangan, Jalan Layar Impian, Jalan Dungang Tambalang, Kampung Kimo Kimo, and Kampung Liang with a total area estimated at 29.95 hectares.
"Heads of zones, fire station chiefs, and supervisors went to the village heads and community leaders to advice, and inform the community against embarking on open burning activities.
"This initiative is seen to be more effective, considering that social media announcements may not reach people in rural areas, due to limited coverage or limitations in the use of technology," he said in a statement here on Sunday (March 10).
He issued the statement in conjunction with the 2023 Sabah and Labuan JBPM Excellent Service Award (APC) and Exemplary Service Certificate presentation ceremony, with 97 personnel receiving the APC and another 22 people receiving the Exemplary Service Certificate here.
Nor Hisham said for the first quarter of this year, Sabah recorded a high number of open burning cases, due to the hot weather and lack of rain, and the department expects there to be a jump in the number of open burning cases and peatland fires if this situation continues.
Thus, he said that the department has identified 114 areas in Sabah, covering 27,815.39 hectares, to be monitored so that no serious open burning occurs in the vicinity.
He also stressed that those convicted for open burning can be fined up to RM500,000 or jailed for up to five years or both.
He added that emergency calls received by Sabah JBPM recorded a sharp increase last month, at 1,086 calls, compared with only 646 calls in January, and this month 444 emergency calls were received, as of Saturday (March 10). - Bernama
