PUTRAJAYA will send a diplomatic note to Jakarta to request immediate action on forest fires raging in Kalimantan and to prevent the recurrence of large-scale open burning.

The note is being drafted, said Deputy Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Isnaraaisah Munirah in Kuching today.

Smoke from Kalimantan, pushed by south-westerly winds, has blanketed much of southern Sarawak in recent days.

Transboundary smoke was the main cause of the Sarawak’s unhealthy air quality.

At noon today seven areas recorded “unhealthy” air quality with the air pollutant index (API) for Kuching at 140, Samarahan (132), Sri Aman (176), Sibu (224), Miri (142), Sarikei (115) and Mukah (102).

The air quality for Mukah was “moderate” at 8am.

Six more areas in the “moderate” air quality zone – Samalaju (72), Bintulu (81), Kapit (64), SK Baram II (73), Limbang (63) and Institute Latihan Politeknik Miri ( 82) – are also inching towards the unhealthy category.

The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee said visibility was between 1.2km (Kuching) and 10km (Kapit).

Meanwhile, the fire and rescue department stated 81 peat fires covering 190 acres of land were reported at noon today.

The Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) website also said that 459 hot spots were detected on Borneo island yesterday from 114 a day earlier, with the majority of them in Indonesia.

Covering a wider area that included Sumatra, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) yesterday also detected 1,393 hot spots in Indonesia – Kalimantan (1,087) and Sumatra (306).

Isnaraaisah said Malaysia again raised the issue of smoke originating from Indonesia with its Asean neighbours at the 21st technical working group and sub-regional ministerial steering committee (MSC) on August 6.

Members of the MSC – Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia – pledged to be alert to, monitor, and take steps to minimise the causes of smoke during the August to October dry season.

“Member countries of the MSC also agreed to increase their collaboration with the Road map on Asean cooperation towards transboundary haze pollution control with means of implementation.”

Domestically, Isnaraaisah said the authorities are clamping down on open burning and investigation papers have been opened on two companies in Sarawak for flouting the ban. – September 6, 2019.