KOTA BARU: It is time for stricter enforcement measures, including compound notices and legal action, to curb the increasingly serious issue of open burning in Kelantan, says state Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) director Farhan Sufyan Borhan.
He said awareness campaigns alone were no longer sufficient, as open burning cases continued to occur despite efforts to curb them.
"This year, we have proposed to certain agencies that instead of merely conducting awareness campaigns, they should also take enforcement action.
"Warnings, compounds or fines should be imposed on individuals carrying out open burning so that it serves as a lesson to others," he said in a recent interview.
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He said that throughout last year, Kelantan Bomba, together with the Environment Department (DOE), carried out various awareness campaigns on the dangers of open burning, but such acts continued nonetheless.
Based on the department’s observations, he said most open burning activities were carried out deliberately for land clearing and agricultural land preparation during the dry season.
"With the current dry season, some are taking advantage because the cost of open burning is cheaper compared to using other clearing methods,” he said.
Farhan Sufyan said the department had also been informed that the DOE and the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) had opened several investigation papers related to open burning cases in the state.
According to him, although Bomba did not have specific legal provisions to take action against open burning, existing laws under the DOE, local authorities and PDRM were sufficient for enforcement purposes.
"For us, the existing laws are sufficient, but what is important is the awareness that legal action can be taken against those carrying out open burning," he said.
He also reminded the public not to carry out uncontrolled open burning, as such actions could cause fires to spread to other areas and affect the environment as well as public safety.
On Thursday (May 14), it was reported that a sharp increase in open burning cases in Kelantan since early March had caused the state Bomba's operational costs to surge, including diesel usage which reached RM217,000 last month.
Farhan Sufyan was quoted as saying that its fuel usage was estimated at between RM45,000 and RM60,000 a month, but had risen significantly because of increasingly frequent firefighting operations against open burning during the current dry season.
As a result, in April alone, it received more than 2,000 calls involving open burning, compared with only 199 calls recorded throughout last year.
Of the total, bushfires recorded the highest number at 1,575 cases, followed by forest fires (238), rubbish fires (99) and plantation fires (37).
Among the worst-affected districts were Kota Baru with 522 cases, followed by Bachok (357) and Pasir Mas (252). – Bernama
