KUCHING: No hotspots were detected in Sarawak as of today, but 148 hotspots were detected in Kalimantan.
Sarawak Department of Environment director John Rampai said that based on the report from the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) in Singapore, the number of hotspots in Kalimantan increased from 67 detected on October 6.
As a result, the Air Pollution Index (API) status recorded on the Sarawak Department of Environment website as of 3 pm today (Oct 8) showed that one API station recorded good air quality below 50, while 11 API stations recorded moderate air quality between 51 and 100.
“The highest API reading was recorded in Serian (63), followed by Samarahan (62), Kuching (61), Samalaju (59), Bintulu (58), Sri Aman (57), Miri (56), Mukah (54), Kapit (53), Sarikei and Limbang (52), and Sibu (49),” he said when contacted.
John reminded the public not to engage in open burning or allow their land or premises to be encroached upon or tampered with by irresponsible parties, leading to open burning for specific purposes or accidentally.
He said that under Section 29(A) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974, those found guilty of open burning can be fined up to RM500,000.00, imprisoned for a maximum of five years, or both.
“A maximum compound of RM2,000 can also be imposed for each offence,” he added.
Furthermore, he said that the Sarawak Environment Department had increased enforcement and daily patrols in areas where open burning activities were likely to occur and monitored API readings regularly.
He added that from January to October 1 this year, there were four impoundments of fuel-burning appliances under the Clean Air Regulations 2014, and 35 compounds were issued for motor vehicles emitting smoke exceeding the allowable standards.
The public can check the API readings at the URL http://apims.doe.gov.my or by downloading the official MyIPU smartphone application from Google Play.
