Sharp rise in open burnings in first two months
Published on: Sunday, March 31, 2024
By: Bernama
Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming - pix Bernama
Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia has witnessed a sharp increase in open burnings during the initial months of this year, said Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming.
He attributed this surge to a combination of factors, including the unusually hot and dry weather prevailing across the nation.
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He said in February, a total of 5,556 cases of such fires were recorded which is an increase of more than six times or 645 per cent compared to the 746 cases recorded in January.
He said among the states that experienced the highest increase were Kedah with 741 cases, Selangor (661 cases), Johor (505 cases) and Sabah with 534 cases.
“Malaysia is currently in a phase of extreme hot and dry weather and is expected to have an impact on a significant increase in cases of open burning involving forests, fields, bushes and garbage fires.
“The surge in cases of open burning increased sharply, especially in Selangor, Negri Sembilan, states in the north such as Kedah, Perlis and Penang, as well as Sabah and Sarawak,” he said when launching the “Op Siaga Raya Aidilfitri 2024” at a shopping centre, here, Saturday.
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Also present was Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) Director-General Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad.
Meanwhile, in a press conference, Nga said the country recorded a total of RM2.62 billion in fire losses last year, including various types of large-scale and domestic fire incidents.
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Accordingly, he advised the public not to arbitrarily carry out open burning either for garbage disposal or for agricultural purposes in this dry season.
He said JBPM has identified 652 hotspots that are at risk of open burning with focus locations, including peatland and illegal waste dump sites as well as waste disposal sites supervised by the local authorities (PBT).
In the meantime, he said up to February, JBPM had inspected 4,900 buildings, including 558 shopping centres, out of the target of 17,000 buildings throughout the country this year.
Earlier, Nga handed over the first five units of compact fire rescue tender CFRT to JBPM to boost the readiness of the department.
Op Siaga is aimed to formulating an initial strategy for preparation and preparedness to face emergency incidents that may occur during the festive season.
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