Jason Loh and Anis Salwana Abdul Malik
TRANSBOUNDARY haze affecting Malaysia has been an ongoing problem for decades, and is mainly caused by forest fires due
to agricultural techniques known as “slash-and-burn” from across the border (whether land, i.e. Kalimantan or
cross-straits, e.g. Riau). The root cause of this is the burning of peat lands for cultivation, which takes place especially during the drought season. This is when peat soil becomes flammable and fire spreads easily.
GEORGE TOWN: Smog from tens of hotspots burning in Cambodia – about 1,000km away – is blowing toward Malaysia, bringing haze to northern states.
The Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC), based in Singapore, reported that satellite cameras have detected massive fire-prone areas emitting smoke plumes in northern and eastern Cambodia as well as parts of southern Laos.
The northeast monsoon has been blowing the smoke towards Malaysia and ASMC forecasts a slight to moderate haze.
The Air Pollutant Index (API) of Malaysia website operated by the Environment Department shows that for most parts of Kelantan, Terengganu, southern Kedah and Penang have moderate API readings in the 60s to 70s.
In South Seberang Prai, Penang, the API is 92, but this is due to Penang’s landfill fire in Pulau Burung.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department also sent out a haze alert on Thursday (Jan 28), characterising the hotspots in Cambodia as forest fires.
On Jan 11, Phnom Penh Post in Cambodia reported that the nation’s forest fires are “frequently caused by human activities, such as burning brush that has been cleared on plantations, burning tree stumps in fields to make it easier to grow crops, creating grasslands for livestock or in poaching attempts as well as to harvest honey from wild bees”.
In Shah Alam and Klang in Selangor, the API reading is in the 70s to 80s.
An API reading of 0-50 is considered Good, Moderate (51-100), Unhealthy (101-200), Very Unhealthy (201-300) and Hazardous (above 300).
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 14 — State governments, local authorities and land owners are advised to take appropriate measures to prevent forest fire.
Water, Land and Natural Resources Ministry (KATS), in a statement, said they should also take steps to prevent irresponsible quarters from trespassing into their property, such as landfills, forest areas, plantations, farms, as well as agriculture and industrial areas to carry out open burning.
“Due to the dry weather condition that is expected in the peninsula, all quarters are also advised not to carry out open burning or to allow their land or premises to be encroached upon resulting in open burning accidentally or for a certain reason,” it said.
It said the ministry, through the Peninsular Malaysia Forestry Department, is always aware of forest fires, especially if they occurred in the Permanent Forest Reserve area.
Several preventive and control measures against forest fire in the peninsula have been taken, including with the collaboration of the Malaysian Space Agency (MySA) and the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MET Malaysia) to obtain updates on hot spot and fire risk areas.
The Forestry Department is also working with the Department of Minerals and Geoscience to build tube wells and “check dams” in areas with risks of catching forest fire.
To date, 85 tubes have been built in the peninsula, it said, adding that monitoring towers were also built in areas with potential to catch forest fire and fire-fighting equipment ready for use in forest fire fighting operations.
According to KATS, the forest fire in Australia should make all quarters realise the need to take appropriate action in improving environmental protection and addressing the growing threats to the ecosystem due to climate change.
Among the impact of forest fires on the environment are destruction to natural habitat, haze phenomena, health problems and loss of the forest biological diversity, it said. — Bernama
PUTRAJAYA — Malaysia’s Ministry of Water, Land, and Natural Resources said on Wednesday (Sept 18) that it has identified six forest fire hotspots in Peninsular Malaysia.
Its minister Dr A. Xavier Jayakumar said the Forestry Departments of each state have identified the hotspots in Johor, Pahang, and Terengganu.
“From yesterday until today, satellite imaging scans by the departments have revealed three of the hotspots are located in Johor, two in Pahang, and one in Terengganu.
“We have advised the departments to conduct regular field patrols to identify potential hotspots and to prevent forest fire outbreaks, especially in permanent forest estate areas,” he told the press here.
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In a statement, the ministry said the Forestry Department has deployed a Semut Merah (Fire Ant in Malay) team to extinguish and control the fires, and constructed 85 tube wells so far with the cooperation of the Mineral and Geoscience Department.
It has also launched a Disaster Operations Center during the drought season, and a campaign to spread awareness of forest fires.
Read also: Putrajaya lying about haze? Stop living in denial, Malaysian minister tells Indonesian counterpart
This comes as Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said on Wednesday that Putrajaya may make satellite data mapping of the regional locations of fire outbreaks and other information about haze hotspots available on official channels.
After a Cabinet meeting on the haze situation, the Malaysian prime minister acknowledged the annual recurrence of the haze to be a touchy subject with Indonesia, saying others had raised it but it has resulted in a finger-pointing game. MALAY MAIL
Link: https://www.todayonline.com/world/fire-hotspots-identified-johor-pahang-terengganu
JOHOR BARU, Sept 11 — Uncontrolled open burning was identified as the main cause for the destruction of more than 48ha of forest areas in Johor recently, said state Fire and Rescue Department director Datuk Yahaya Madis.
In Johor, he said there were three hotspots, with the biggest being Muar with 20ha destroyed, followed by Pontian (12ha) and Gelang Patah (16ha) recently.
PUTRAJAYA: Smoke from forest fires in Pekan caused air quality to drop to unhealthy levels at Bandar Indera Mahkota this morning, the Environment Department reported.
It said Air Pollutant Index readings throughout the country were at moderate levels, except at Bandar Indera Mahkota which recorded an API of 104.
KUANTAN (Bernama): A peat soil forest fire near the Sultan Ahmad Shah Maritime Academy (AMSAS) in Sungai Ular here razed 420ha of forest Thursday (April 25), compared to 40ha last week.
Pahang Fire and Rescue Department director Nor Hisham Mohammad said the absence of an entry road, limited water source, and wind movements were among the difficulties faced by the department in an operation to douse the fire.
KUANTAN, April 21 — Nearly 40 hectares of a forest near the Sultan Ahmad Shah Maritime Academy here have reportedly been on fire since Thursday.
Gebeng Fire and Rescue Station head Syed A. Jamaludin Syed Mohamed said they only found out about the fire at 4 pm on Thursday when a patrol team spotted it.
MIRI: Forest fires have flared up again in the Similajau National Park in northern Sarawak.
The Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) is sending in its volunteer firefighters to help those from Sarawak Bomba who are already there.
SFC chief executive officer Zolkipli Mohamad Aton said on Friday (April 12) that fires had been detected inside the park again.