Sarawak reimposes open burning ban as air quality sees drop
The Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) reminded project developers that those found guilty of open burning face prosecution under Section 30(1)(a) and Section 30(2) of the Natural Resources and Environment Ordinance.
Offenders face a fine of up to RM100,000, imprisonment of up to five years or both.
The Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre detected 114 hotspots in Kalimantan, Indonesia, between July 14 and July 20, with 93 of them detected in the past two days.
In response, the NREB halted the issuance of open burning permits, issued open burning prohibition notices to all project developers, organised air quality awareness programmes with other agencies, conducted field patrols to catch those who flout the ban and activated the haze operations room.
The board said only four hotspots were detected in Sarawak in the same period.
It warned that Sarawak could experience haze in the coming days or weeks if biomass burning in Kalimantan continued.
"As the country is in the southwest monsoon phase, which began on May 10 and is expected to end in September, the region will experience consistent winds blowing from the southwest.
"This may cause transboundary haze and a deterioration in ambient air quality in Sarawak."
No area in the state has recorded unhealthy Air Pollution Index readings.
The NREB said up to 8am today, three areas recorded "good" API readings and 15 areas recorded "moderate" readings.
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