NIBONG TEBAL – It will take another week to extinguish the fire at the Pulau Burung landfill here because of the large area involved.
Deputy Environment and Water Minister Datuk Mansor Othman said the state government is trying hard to overcome the problems being faced, including by asking the landfill management company to take responsibility for the incident.
He said the fire is not only endangering the lives of some 400 residents nearby but also causing serious air pollution.
“The Fire and Rescue Department (FRD) is facing a water shortage problem due to low water pressure as well as a shortage of sand to put out the fire. It is the responsibility of the company, and we will ensure that it cooperates,” he told reporters after visiting the site with Environment Department (DoE) director Sharifah Zakiah Syed Sahab today.
The fire broke out at the landfill at about 5pm last Wednesday.
FRD, with the help of the Volunteer Fire Brigade, quickly constructed a barrier to prevent the fire from spreading further.
The fire covers an area of 6.5ha out of a total 16.2ha of the landfill. So far, no lives have been lost.
Mansor also urged relevant agencies to assist in dousing the fire, described as the worst so far since a fire several years ago that resulted in large-scale air pollution.
According to the DoE, action had been taken against the operator of the landfill previously for conducting open burning and it was now in the process of taking action against the company under Section 34A of the Environmental Quality Act 1974.
Meanwhile, Kg Kebun Baru community management council chairman Nur Syakila Abdullah, 48, said the village is home to 36 families, with 115 individuals from 18 families already agreeing to move out.
“The rest have not responded as they are waiting for their spouses to return from work before moving out by 8pm tonight.
“In fact, the residents’ committee is actively persuading and advising other residents to do the same for safety and health reasons,” she added.
Nur Syakila said this is the fourth fire outbreak at the Pulau Burung landfill over the past few years, but also it this is the worst.
“This is the first time residents have had to temporarily relocate due to the drop in air quality and the risks they are facing,” she added. – Bernama, January 18, 2022
