KUALA LUMPUR: The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry has given special authority to 194 officers of the Department of Environment (DOE) nationwide to detain environment criminals without warrant, said its minister, Datuk Seri G. Palanivel.
He said under Section 37C of the Environment Quality Act, officers have the authority to take action against an offender who compromised public welfare and health, including through open burning.
“During the haze, officers can arrest any individual for committing an offence under the act,” he said in a statement here today.
He said the number of hotspots detected through the United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite images at several locations in the country dropped from 12 last Wednesday to six yesterday, with three in Sarawak, and one each in Selangor, Negri Sembilan, and Pahang.
However, the satellite images could not show the actual number of hotspots because of the presence of thick clouds, he said.
Palanivel said hotspots detected in the country would be investigated and appropriate enforcement action taken, adding that 46 hotspots had also been detected in Sumatra, Indonesia.
The number of open burning cases remained at 4,007, the same as yesterday. Bernama