KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has gone on the alert for haze with the state capital and Tawau recording unhealthy levels over the last 48 hours.
Tawau, the district straddling north Kalimantan, recorded an API reading of 153 while Kota Kinabalu is at 122 as of 11am Monday (Aug 31) while other areas such as Sandakan and Keningau remained at moderate levels.
Sabah Environment Department representative Nor Rashidah Mohd Ghazali said they were continuously monitoring the situation as the state was now also affected by the reported transboundary haze from forest and peatland fires in Kalimantan.
She noted that a fire involving 202 stilt houses at the Kampung Numbak in Kota Kinabalu on Aug 30 had also contributed to local air quality deterioration.
“No other major fires were reported around Kota Kinabalu,” she said, adding that on Aug 29 bush fires detected by the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) in Singapore satellite imagery from NOAA‑20 in Tuaran and Kota Belud have been fully extinguished with no more hotspots detected.
“Due to hot and dry weather, DOE is intensifying enforcement and daily patrols in areas prone to open burning, while monitoring API readings continuously.
“To date, 474 patrols under the Open Burning Prevention Operation (OMPT) have been carried out in the state,” she said.
She reminded the public not to carry out open burning or allow their land/premises to be trespassed for such activities.
Under Section 29(A) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974, offenders may face fines of not less than RM25,000 and not more than RM1,000,000, or imprisonment up to 5 years, or both. A maximum compound of RM2,000 or up to RM500,000 may also be imposed for open burning offences.
Public also urged to help extinguish small fires and report open burning or fire incidents to the Fire and Rescue Department at 999 or the DOE toll‑free line at 1‑800‑88‑2727.
Sabah, unlike neighbouring Sarawak, relatively enjoyed good air quality in the current dry spell despite its close proximity to northern Kalimantan where over 1,000 peat fires have been located.
API readings began to increase over the last 48 hours.
