PUTRAJAYA: A total of 1,164 cases of open burning were recorded in Sabah from Jan 17 to March 13 this year.
Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan the cases are expected to rise following the El Nino phenomenon, which is expected to last until the end of this month.
“In January alone, 188 cases of open burning were reported, compared to 14 cases in the same month last year. A total of 541 open burning were recorded in February this year compared to 205 cases for the same month last year.
“From March 1 to 13, there were already 435 open burning cases. Last year, 853 cases were reported throughout March.
“From the statistics, bush fires recorded the highest cases with 47 cases and farm fires with 13 cases,” he said in a statement today.
Rahman, who is also Kota Belud member of parliament, said the most affected areas include Kota Kinabalu, Penampang, Papar, Keningau and Tuaran.
On March 12, the Sabah Fire and Rescue Department received the most number of emergency calls on open fires with 60 cases.
“The latest case was in Kampung Bunang near the Mini Estet Sejahtera Bunang in Keningau district where open fires destroyed 500 hectares of forest.
“The blaze could not be controlled as the firemen had difficulty accessing the area, compounded by a lack of water sources. The team received assistance from the Air Unit in the firefighting operation.” he said.
The public, especially those living in rural areas, are urged to cooperate with the firemen and not to throw their cigarette butts into open areas.