Fire and Rescue Department personnel monitoring the open burning situation in Kanowit, Sarawak, on Monday (July 29). - Bomba pic
KUCHING: Open burning in Sarawak decreased significantly over the past two days as rain brought respite, says the state Fire and Rescue Department.
Its deputy director Tiong Ling Hii said 13 cases were recorded on Monday (July 29), a 46% drop from 24 cases the day before.
"Rain in several parts of Sarawak helped to reduce the occurrence of forest and brush fires," he said in a statement on Tuesday (July 30).
Tiong said patrols and an awareness campaign in the media also helped reduce the number of cases.
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He said 38 fire stations statewide were conducting patrols to monitor the situation and advise the public to stop open burning.
"The daily patrols are conducted using fire engines and utility vehicles, including at night," he said.
Volunteer teams would help out in areas with no fire station close by, he added.
According to Tiong, 59 such teams had been mobilised to advise the public about open burning, in addition to acting as first responders to fires.
Tiong also highlighted the media's role in raising awareness of open burning.
"The print and electronic media as well as social media platforms have played their part," he said.
Over the past eight days, Tiong said Kuching division recorded the most open burning cases with 20, followed by Miri (16) and Mukah (12).
He added that Kapit was the only division with no open burning cases during the current spell of hot weather.
