TWENTY agricultural land owners in Johan Setia, Klang, flouted the law against open burning  during the recent smog crisis, the New Straits Times reports

Seven of them received a notice under the National Land Code, and the remainder are under investigation.

Klang chief assistant district officer Mohd Shahrizal Mohd Salleh said the culprits could have their land confiscated for the offence.

A probe is held to determine the reason the offenders broke the law, after which they are given  three months to conduct remedial works.

“If they fail to adhere to the instructions, ultimately Notice 8A will be used to confiscate their land,” Shahrizal was quoted as saying.

He said the district office did not condone the use of fire to clear land even though it was a cheap and fast method because it harmed the environment.

Johan Setia was one of the worst affected areas on the peninsula during the recent episode of transboundary haze from Indonesia, because it had several hotspots of its own.

For weeks, the air quality in the area alternated between “unhealthy” and “very unhealthy”.

The Klang District and Land Office worked with the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department and Klang Municipal Council’s Skuad Pantas to identify and doused the fires at the hotspots.

Klang Fire and Rescue Department zone chief Samsol Maarif Saibani said some fires were started to burn rubbish.

He advised landowners to fence up their plots to prevent trespassers from burning rubbish on their property. – October 2, 2019.