FOREST fires at the Sarawak-Brunei border are burning beyond the 100-hectare mark, with a massive hotspot the size of roughly 220 football fields.
The Miri district-level Disaster Management Committee said they will probably resort to aerial water bombing using the bombardier aircraft to combat the fires.
"We have requested help from the Maritime Enforcement Agency for the deployment of their bombardier aircraft to be used for aerial water bombings.
"Water bombings have to be carried out fast as the flames cannot be doused from the ground and the fire is burning deeper into the peat soil and forests," the committee said in the latest updates to the press today.
About 120,000 people are living in the Kuala Baram subdistrict near the Sarawak border while Brunei has stopped all outdoor activities due to air pollution caused by these raging forest fires near the border.
What sparked off this latest round of wildfires is still unclear - whether it was deliberate open burning of agriculture waste or the dry spell.
Miri Mayor Adam Yii has also expressed concern that the effects of the fires can be felt even in Miri city some 30 kms away.
He also said that the council and other enforcement agencies are concerned over more open burning that will worsen the situation.
He has since called on the authorities to tighten enforcement and act against those who engage in open burning activities. - The Vibes, March 27, 2024
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