THERE ARE increasing worries in parts of northern Sarawak over the scourge of open burning and the resurgence of forest fires as the dry and hot weather sets in.
In one instance, a large fire raged at a peat forest in Kuala Lawas in the northernmost district of the state, causing multiple acres of land to be burned.
The State Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) pointed to a fire that was raging near a village called Kg Banting last week.
"We deployed teams of firefighters to the site, and they used fire hoses to douse the flames,” the department said in a statement.
"A total flooding method was also used where water from rivers were pumped to flood the burning zones.”
A helicopter equipped with “water bombing” facility was deployed from the Bomba base in Miri to drop water on fires, especially in deep areas that were difficult to access on land.
The flames in the area were later contained.
Initial reports indicated that forests about the size of twelve football fields had been destroyed in that area alone.
Although the weather has become increasingly hot and dry, the precise cause of the Kuala Lawas peat fire is being probed.
Local communities are worried that open burning of agricultural waste in plantations will cause even more air pollution.
Northern Sarawak is notorious for the annual fires and haze, with Miri district being one of the worst-hit areas. – The Vibes, February 25, 2024
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