KUCHING: The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) has instructed all disaster management committees at the divisional and district levels to enhance preparedness to face the risk of haze and peatland fires following the expected continued hot and dry weather.
Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said rising temperatures and the dry season usually cause the number of hotspots to increase, thus increasing the risk of open fires.
According to him, the Air Pollution Index (API) readings will continue to be monitored and action will be taken based on the standard operating procedures (SOPs) that have been set if the air quality becomes unhealthy.
"We have instructed all disaster management committees at the divisional level chaired by the Resident, as well as at the district level led by the District Officer to make early preparations.
"Among the main focuses are areas identified as flammable areas," he said at a press conference on Cloud Seeding Operations at the Kuching Air Base on Friday.
According to the SDMC Chairman, among the areas given attention is Kuala Baram which often faces peatland fire incidents during the summer.
He said the state government has provided various support infrastructure including tube wells, small dams and monitoring towers to speed up action in the event of a fire.
In addition, cooperation has also been established with landowners to ensure that extinguishing efforts can be carried out more effectively.
Datuk Amar Douglas added that the Department of Environment (DOE) and the Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) have also been instructed to utilise drones to monitor high-risk peatland areas.
"The smartest move is to act as soon as smoke is detected and not wait until the fire is raging.
"When the fire is visible, the area that is burning is usually very large and the fire can spread quickly because peatland areas are very dry and flammable," he explained.
If necessary, he said, SDMC will take action to flood the peatland areas according to the set SOP to prevent further spread of the fire.
He also reminded the public to avoid open burning and report immediately to the authorities if they detect smoke or fire in nearby areas. -UKASnews
Prepared By: Ahmad Daniel Faiz
Translator: Nerissa Sia
